Important Orders of Insects to Know

It is valuable to know insects at least to the level of Order. It is important to be able to determine insects as flies, beetles, butterflies, fleas, etc. This is an excellent starting point toward identification and in some cases it may be enough.

Greek or Latin root names for these Orders may seem intimidating, but with a few hints, the task is almost fun. Before using the tutorial to learn about the different Orders, look over the translations of some of the Order names.

First, remember that the ending -ptera means wing. This is like the winged dinosaur Pteradactyl. If something is -aptera, that means without wings.

Now visit this site and investigate some of the above orders starting with the Phylogenetic listing.

http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/course/ent425/compendium/index.html