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Note to teachers
This activity links to the English Book Week activity, regarding survival and adaptations.
The following activities should be completed during Science Week, 10 – 18 August.

Class allocation
Class Students Groups
7E 24 6
7C 28 7
8A 26 7
8T 25 6
9A 24 6
9C 23 6
10B 16 4
10J 12 3
Totals 24 45

Instructions
Day 1: Insect Capture

• Allocate students to groups of 3 or 4 according to the table above

• Each group receives
o Collection net
o 2 x sample jars
• Students use collection nets to capture insects and transfer to sample jars
• Students are not to lift rocks etc, they should sweep the air or disturb bushes to collect
insects.
• Each group should collect at minimum 3 – 4 insects
• Students place collected insects in a sample jar and return to class
• Students label sample jar with Name and Class
• Students place sample jars into the freezer overnight
Day 2: Relax insect samples

• Each group receives:

o Paper towel
o Dropper bottle with 50:50 isopropanol to water
• Students select 2 insects per group to mount – please ensure a good mix of insects are
selected
• Fold and moisten a paper towel with 1isopropanol/water mix
• Place inside sample container
• Leave overnight in fridge

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Day 3: Mount insect samples

• Each group receives:

o 10 x mounting pins
o 3 x index cards
• Each class receives
o 1 x storage box
o 2 x mounting foam
• Follow instructions in student booklet to mount insects on the foam
• Each class should end up with one box with 2 mounting foam pieces
Day 4: Identification and adaptations

• Students use dichotomous keys provided to identify insects and complete the table in their
student guide
o Note: Students need to identify at least to the ORDER level.
[Link] is a useful interactive website
for identifying insects, a printed identification guide will also be provided for printing.
• Each group should write an index card for each of their insects and place in storage box
• Complete adaptations section in student guide.

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 A Pictorial Key to the Order of Adult Insects

winged wingless
(go to page 64)

front wings hardened, leathery or front wings membranous

parchmentlike at least at the base (go to page 61)

chewing sucking
mouthparts mouthparts

without with front wings leathery front wings of

pincer-like pincer-like at base and uniform texture
cerci cerci membranous at end

DERMAPTERA HOMOPTERA
HEMIPTERA (leafhoppers, planthoppers,
(earwigs) (true bugs) cicadas, spittlebugs)

front wings with A. front wings hard,

branched veins without veins

jumping insects walking insects

A. hind femur enlarged A. hind femur not enlarged
B. tarsi with four or B. tarsi with five segments
fewer segments COLEOPTERA
A (beetles)

B
A

ORTHOPTERA DICTYOPTERA
(crickets, katydids, (roaches, mantids,
grasshoppers) walkingsticks)
60
 continued from key page 60

two wings four wings

wings with few or A. wings usually covered

no scales; without with scales
coiled proboscis B. mouthparts consist of
coiled proboscis
A. pronotum pronotum not
extended over extended over
abdomen abdomen A
B

A LEPIDOPTERA
(butterflies and moths)

very slender wing with no fringe of hairs, or if

fringe of hairs as long as present, not as long as
ORTHOPTERA wing is wide wing is wide
(pigmy grasshoppers)

THYSANOPTERA (go to page 62)

(thrips)

end of abdomen without end of abdomen with

noticeable appendages style or thread-like tail

A. with haltere-like B. with halteres A. style-like tail B. two or three

organs in front of wings behind wings thread-like tails

A
B
B

COLEOPTERA DIPTERA HOMOPTERA EPHEMEROPTERA

(male stylopids) (flies, mosquitoes, (male scales) (mayflies)
gnats, midges)
61
 continued from key page 61

hind wings equal to or hind wings smaller

larger than front wings than front wings
(go to page 63)

no long abdominal appendages abdomen with two or

three thread-like tails

tarsi two or three segmented tarsi with more than three

segments (usually five)

EPHEMEROPTERA
(mayflies)

A. piercing-sucking B. chewing mouthparts

mouthparts

B
B. antennae as long as
body; wings and body
often with scales
A A. antennae shorter than
body; no noticeable scales

HOMOPTERA A
(cicadas, leafhoppers,
planthoppers, spittlebugs) B

HYMENOPTERA
(bees, wasps, ichneumons) TRICHOPTERA
(caddisflies)

PSOCOPTERA
(barklice, booklice)

62
 continued from key page 62

mouthparts mouthparts at end of beak-like

close to eye structure some distance from eye

MECOPTERA
wings never held (scorpionflies)
flat over abdomen

B. antennae apparently wings held

A. bristle-like flat over abdomen
inconspicuous antennae with several segments

B
A

ODONATA
(dragonflies, damselflies)

hind wings with enlarged hind wings without enlarged

anal area folded fan-like; anal area folded fan-like;
wings tend to curl around wings do not tend to curl
the body lengthwise around the body lengthwise

NEUROPTERA
MEGALOPTERA (lacewings, mantispids,
(dobsonflies, fishflies, owlflies, antlions)
alderflies)

all legs of hind legs modified

walking type for jumping

ORTHOPTERA
(tree crickets)

A. cerci usually long; B. cerci short; with

more than eight segments two to eight segments

B
A

ISOPTERA
PLECOPTERA (termites)
(stoneflies) 63
 continued from key page 60

antennae present antennae absent

legs present legs absent

head and thorax head and thorax

separate fused

DIPTERA
(louse flies, bat flies)

HOMOPTERA COLEOPTERA
(scales) (female stylopoids)

A. collophore present; both collophore and

B. spring-like organ usually present spring-like organ absent

B
long tail-like three tail-like
A appendages absent appendages present

COLLEMBOLA
(springtails)

body not flattened A. body flattened laterally

B. or dorsoventrally

A THYSANURA
(silverfish)
B

(go to page 66)

(go to page 65)

64
 continued from key page 64

body flattened dorsoventrally body flattened laterally

sucking mouthparts no sucking mouthparts

externally visible externally visible

SIPHONAPTERA
A. antennae longer B. antennae shorter (fleas)
than head than head
A
B

antennae longer antennae shorter

than head than head

HEMIPTERA DIPTERA
(true bugs) (louse flies and bat flies)

A. tiny insects; tarsi with B. large insects; tarsi

two or three segments with five segments
A

PSOCOPTERA DICTYOPTERA
(booklice, barklice) (roaches, mantids, walkingsticks)

A. head wider than thorax at B. head narrower than thorax at

point of attachment to thorax point of attachment to thorax
A
B

MALLOPHAGA ANOPLURA
(biting lice) (sucking lice)

65
 continued from key page 64

abdomen and thorax not abdomen and thorax

narrowly joined together narrowly joined together
A

body covered body not covered

with scales with scales

HYMENOPTERA
(ants)

tarsal claws tarsal claws

absent present

LEPIDOPTERA
(female cankerworm) piercing-sucking chewing
mouthparts mouthparts
THYSANOPTERA
(thrips)

cornicles absent A. cornicles usually

present
A

with distinct without distinct

head and eyes head and eyes

HOMOPTERA
(aphids)

HOMOPTERA
(female scales)

HEMIPTERA
(bed bugs)

abdominal forceps present; abdominal forceps absent

entire body rather hard (go to page 67)
and brown colored

DERMAPTERA
(earwigs)

66
 continued from key page 66

A. mouthparts at end of beak-like mouthparts not elongated,

structure some distance from eye close to eyes

cerci present cerci absent

A
MECOPTERA
(scorpionflies) A. antennae longer B. antennae shorter
than one-third of than one-fourth of
body length body length
B
A

body leathery and body soft and

usually grey or pale colored
dark colored

PSOCOPTERA COLEOPTERA
ORTHOPTERA (barklice and booklice) (female stylopids)
(crickets)

three to five tarsal segments

A. basal segment of front tarsi about
same size as ones immediately following

ISOPTERA
(termites)

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