insects are classified into kingdom animalia and are divided
into 36 smaller groups called phyla. a single group is called a phylum.
phylum arthropoda contains hard shelled animals with jointed legs.
arthropods are divided into smaller groups called classes. the four largest classes are:
crustaecea: crabs
myriapoda: centipedes, millipedes
chelicerata (arachnida) : spiders
insecta: the insects
class insecta is divided into 25-35 smaller groups called orders
some of the largest orders are:
Coleoptera: beetles. 300,000 species
Diptera: flies, mosquitoes, gnats. 120,000 species
Lepidoptera: moths & butterflies. 112,000 species
Hymenoptera: wasps, bees, parasitic insects. 108,000 species
Hemiptera: true bugs. 50,000 species
Homoptera: aphids, scale insects, cicadas. 32,000 species
Orthoptera: grasshoppers, crickets, katydids. 12,500 species
Trichoptera: caddisflies. 7,000 species
Collembola: springtails. 6,000 species
Phthiraptera: lice. 5,500 species
Odonata: dragonflies, damselflies. 5,000 species
Neuroptera: lacewings. 4,700 species
Blattaria: cockroaches. 4,000 species
Thysanoptera: thrips. 4,000 species
Ephemeroptera: mayflies. 2,000 species
Isoptera: termites. 1,900 species
Mantodea: mantids. 1,500 species
taken from www.geocities.com/kanekula/pages/insect.html
