66 ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. [April, 



ELEMENTARY ENTOMOLOGY. 



Tenth Paper. — The Orders of Insects. 



In the first paper of this series (Ent. News, Vol. I, pp. 72, 73) 

 was indicated the division of the Arthropoda into classes. Of 

 these, the Insecta (Hexapoda) formed the fifth class. The class 

 of insects is divided into orders. Entomologists differ in the 

 classifications which they employ. In this paper will be pre- 

 sented the chief classifications used in this country, without at- 

 tempting to designate any one classification as the best. 



The oldest and the simplest classification is that used in Dr. 

 Packard's " Guide" in the editions previous to the sixth. The 

 class Insecta is divided into three orders: Hexapoda, Arachnida 

 and Myriapoda. The order Hexapoda is divided into the follow- 

 ing suborders: 



1. Hymenoptera (membrane wing^*). Head large. Mouth-parts de- 

 veloped both for biting and sucking. Wings small, powerful, with com- 

 paratively few and irregularly branched veins. Transformations complete. 

 In the higherf and more typical forms, the first abdominal segment is 

 intimately united with the thorax. Examples: Bees, Wasps, Ants, Saw- 

 flies. 



2. Lepidoptera (scale wings). Body cylindrical, compact. Head small, 

 clypeus large (in proportion). Mouth-parts developed for sucking. 

 Maxillae prolonged into a tubular " tongue." Mandibles obsolete. Wings 

 broad, regularly veined, covered with minute scales. Transformations 

 complete. Butterflies, Moths. 



3. Diptera (two wings). Only two wings, the hind pair represented by 

 halteres. Thorax greatly centralized, more or less globular. Mouth- 

 parts developed for sucking. Labrum, and the bristle-like mandibles and 

 maxillae ensheathed partially within the labium to form a beak. Maxil- 

 lary palpi present. Transformations complete. Mosquitos, House-flies. 



4. CMleoptera (sheath wings). Front wings developed as elytra which 

 cover the folded hind wings, and also the two posterior thoracic segments 

 and the abdomen. Mouth-parts developed for biting, Transformations 

 complete. Beetles. 



5. Hemiptera (half wings). Mouth-parts developed for sucking. The 

 style-like mandibles and maxillae ensheathed by the labium to form a beak. 

 Labrum small, short. Maxillary palpi absent. Prothorax free, large. 

 Front wings often half homy, half membranous (hemelytra). Transfor- 



* As each ordinal name is used for the first time in this paper, it will be followed by a 

 literal translation of the Greek words from which it is formed, 

 t I.e., more specialized. 



