2 74 



CLASSIFICATION OF ANIMALS 



The anterior wings are membraneous, the posterior pair reduced to "bal- 

 ancers" or halteres. The body is usually compact with the ventral chain 



of ganglia united into a single mass. The 

 abdomen consists of 5-9 segments. The larva 

 is a footless and often headless grub (maggot) 

 and in the process of metamorphosis is trans- 

 formed into a pupa and finally the imago. 

 The larvae of the mosquitos are aquatic, those 

 of most of the true flies live in decaying organic 

 matter but many are parasitic. In a number 

 of cases the adult is also parasitic. 



588. Order 13. — The Siphonaptera or fleas. 

 In this group the wings are wanting through 

 degeneration. Compound eyes are also lack- 

 ing. The body is laterally compressed. The 

 mouth parts are for piercing and sucking. 

 The third pair of legs are used for springing. 

 The larvae are usually free living, the adult an 

 external parasite. 



589. Order 14. — The Coleoptera, or beetles, 



are a very large order. The mouth parts are 



constructed for biting. The anterior pair of 



wings are horny, the second pair membraneous. 



The first pair are called elytra. They fit 



together to form a shield over the abdomen 



and at rest the second pair of wings are folded 



under them. The larvae have a distinct head 



with simple eyes and a soft body — ("grub 



w'orms"). The feet may be wanting. The 



grub lives in protected situations, underground, 



under the bark of trees or boring into wood or 



Fig. 163. — The Lantern- in other similar places. Metamorphosis in- 

 fly of Brazil. Fulgora dudes a pupa stage. 



lanternana. This odd ex- _.^,^ . n.. „ ^4 • \ a 



ample of the Rhynchota 590- Order 16.— The Hymenoptera mclude 



is said by' the natives to the ants, bees and wasps. The mouth parts 



lirappefdU: WnTo"n ^'^ ^^apted for biting. Tl,e wings are two 



the head. This statement pairs, of a membraneous texture. There are 



is seriously questioned, two compound eyes and three ocelli. The 



however, and the function ^ i -j j '..i i.- r i 



of the "lantern" is not i^'^^l^s are provided with a sting of a complex 



known. X 5/4. structure and located at the posterior end of 



