Introductory Entomology
Third Semester
Gauradaha, Jhapa
History
• Entomology is rooted in nearly all human cultures from prehistoric times,
primarily in the context of agriculture (especially biological control and
beekeeping), but scientific study began only as recently as the 16th century.[3]
• William Kirby is widely considered as the father of Entomology. In collaboration
with William Spence, he published a definitive entomological
encyclopedia, Introduction to Entomology, regarded as the subject's foundational
text.
• He also helped to found the Royal Entomological Society in London in 1833, one
of the earliest such societies in the world; earlier antecedents, such as the
Aurelian society date back to the 1740s.[4]
• Entomology developed rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries, and was studied by
large numbers of people, including such notable figures as Charles Darwin,
Jean-Henri Fabre, Vladimir Nabokov, Karl von Frisch (winner of the 1973
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine ),[5]and two-time Pulitzer Prize winner
E. O. Wilson.
Entomology is a branch of zoology that deals with the scientific study of
insects. The term is derived from the Greek word Entomon = Insects and
logos = study.
The word insect is derived from Latin word ‘insectum’ which means ‘to cut
into’
Agricultural entomology deals with the study of insects that affect
agriculture
There are other branches of entomology like medical entomology,
veterinary entomology, forensic entomology (study of insects inhabitant
decomposition remains), urban entomology, industrial entomology
Arthropoda (from Greek words arthro = jointed,
poda = foot) is the largest phylum in the Animal
Kingdom.
Phylum Arthopoda is further divided into five classes:
Class: Arachnida (arachnids): spiders, scorpions,
ticks, mites, etc.
Class: Chilopoda (centipedes)
Class: Diplopoda (millipedes)
Class: Crustacea (crustaceans): Prawn, crabs,
shrimp, barnacles, sow bugs, etc.
Class: Class: Hexapoda (Insecta)
World
Living Thing (Study of living world is
biology or biological study)
Non-Living Thing
Animal Kingdom (Zoology) Plant Kingdom (Botany)
Sub-Kingdom - Invertebrata Sub-Kingdom - vertebrata
Phylum: Arthropoda
Hexapoda Crustacea
Diplopoda
Chilopoda Arachnida
Class: Arachnida (arachnids): spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, etc.
Arachnids possess:
Terrestrial, 2 body segments - cephalothorax and abdomen
4 pairs of legs, simple eyes, respiration is done by gills or lungs
no antennae
It has 4 sub classes:
1. Scorpinida: E.g. Scorpion
2. Phalangida: E.g. Harvest man or Daddy long leg.
3. Araneida; E.g. Spiders
4. Acarina: E.g. Ticks and Mites.
Class: Chilopoda (centipedes)
Chilopods are quick moving predators with poison glands which possess:
Terrestrial in habitat,
body is long, flattened and multi-segmented
1 pair of legs per body segment
1 pair of antenne
Animals are unisexual. E.g. centipedes
Class: Diplopoda (millipedes)
Diplopods are slow moving vegetarians which possess:
Many body segments, long and cylindrical with 25 to 100 segments.
2 pair of legs per body segment
1 pair of antennae E.g.: millipedes (thousand legs)
Class: Crustacea (crustaceans): Prawn, crabs, shrimp, barnacles,
sowbugs, etc.
Crustaceans possess:
Mostly aquatic, free living parasites.
Two body regions – Cephalothorax and abdomen
Two pairs of antennae
Varied number of legs (usually five)
Respiration is done by skin or by gills.
Excretion is done by green glands.
Mostly unisexual.
Class: Hexapoda (Formerly :Insecta); beetles, bugs,
wasps, moths, flies, etc.
Out of total organisms 75-80% are insect
One pair of housefly is if left from April-August, they
produce progeny enough to cover this world with
47’’(feet) layer.
Happy the cicada life because they have voiceless wife.
May fly and cicada (24 hours to 13-17 years)
Insect can be found in temperature varied from -20 0C
(Icebug) to 800C (locust)
Characters of Class insecta:
1. Body divided in to 3 segments: head, thorax and abdomen
2. Possess three pairs of legs, hence the name Hexapoda
3. Presence of one or two pairs of wings
4. A pair of antennae
5. Respiration by means of internal air tubes known as trachea
6. Genital opening situated at the posterior end of the body
[Link] of metamorphosis (incomplete/complete) during
development
8. Possess exoskeleton made up of hard cuticle which plays
important role for survival.
9. Excretion is mainly by malpighian tubules which help in
maintaining ionic balance
BENEFICIAL AND HARMFUL EFFECTS OF INSECTS
• Beneficial Aspect
• Only 1-2% insect are harmful
• Remaining are either beneficial or indifferent
1. Pollination: Out of total pollination activities, over 80 percentage is
performed by insects. Where as bees contribute nearly 80 percentage of the
total insect pollination. Honey bees, beetle, wasps etc.
2. Bio-control agents:
Predator: Lady bird beetle predate on aphids, mealy bugs, praying mandit on
moths, crickets and grasshoppers.
Parasitoids: Wasps
3. Production of products: Honey, Lac, Silk etc
4. Nutrient recycling: Insects feed on dead and decaying plants, animals and
animal excreta and help in recycling the nutrients. Examples are dung feeders
dung beetles and termites, black soldier fly
Contd….
5. Source of food:
Over 500 species of insects are used as food by human. Crickets, beetles,
grasshoppers, wasps. These are good source of animal protein also called as
protein capsule
6. Weed control: Kala Jhar by Cecidochares utilis, Parthenium weed is controlled
by Mexican beetle
7. Gall maker: Some insects form gall in plants, where tonic acid is produced and
used in tanning
8. Insects useful as drugs, ornaments and scientific research
As medicine: Stinging of honey bee for rheumatism and arthritis
Drosophila and mosquitoes are used in genetic and toxicological studies
Artists and designers copy colour of butterflies and beetles hind wings as
necklace
Detrimental effects
1. Destruction or spoilage of food: World crop yield loss due to insect
is 12.5%, world cereal losses is 13.5% and cereal losses in Asia is
14.0%. In Nepal, yield loss by insect is about 15-20%
2. Damage on storage product: Different weevil and other insects
damage on store grains.
3. Damage to goods: Termites, cockroach, silverfish
4. Transmits disease in plants and animals: Disease causing
mosquitoes: Malaria, Dengue fever. Housefly: Typhoid, Cholera etc
5. Possess venoms and causes allergies
6. Some insects are nuisance to our well beings: housefly, mosquito
7. Suck blood of human and domesticated animals: Lice, flea, ticks
and mites ect.