Insects & Other Invertebrates, GRA-LEA
Yet, in addition to being critically important—because they naturally recycle decaying matter—in maintaining balance within the food chain, bugs can also be fascinating creatures, whether in regard to the water strider's ability to run across the surface of water or the assassin bugs' varied and creative means of catching and killing their prey. Mollusks, another group of invertebrates, get less of a bad rap. Their ranks include nearly 100,000 described species of soft-bodied animals that are usually wholly or partly enclosed in a calcium carbonate shell; examples include snails, clams, oysters, squids, and octopuses.
Insects & Other Invertebrates Encyclopedia Articles By Title
grape phylloxera, (Phylloxera vitifoliae), a small greenish-yellow insect (order Homoptera), highly destructive......
graptolite, any member of an extinct group of small, aquatic colonial animals that first became apparent during......
grasshopper, (suborder Caelifera), any of about 11,000 species of jumping insects of the order Orthoptera that......
green lacewing, (family Chrysopidae), family of 85 genera and around 2,000 species of insects that are characterized......
Greenops, genus of trilobites (extinct arthropods) found as fossils in Middle and Upper Devonian deposits (the......
gribble, any of the approximately 20 species of wood-boring, marine crustaceans constituting the genus Limnoria,......
ground beetle, (family Carabidae), any member of more than 40,000 insect species in one of the largest families......
ground pearl, (genus Margarodes), any of a group of scale insects in the family Margarodidae (order Homoptera)......
Gryphaea, extinct molluskan genus found as fossils in rocks from the Jurassic Period to the Eocene Epoch (between......
guinea worm, (Dracunculus medinensis), member of the phylum Nematoda. The guinea worm, a parasite of humans, is......
hairstreak, (subfamily Theclinae), any of a group of insects in the gossamer-winged butterfly family, Lycaenidae......
hairy fungus beetle, (family Mycetophagidae), any of approximately 200 described species of beetles (insect order......
Hallopora, genus of extinct bryozoans (moss animals) found as fossils in Ordovician to Silurian marine rocks (from......
Halysites, extinct genus of corals found as fossils in marine rocks from the Late Ordovician Period to the end......
harlequin beetle, (Acrocinus longimanus), large tropical American beetle with an elaborate variegated pattern of......
harlequin cabbage bug, (Murgantia histrionica), a species of insect in the stinkbug family, Pentatomidae (order......
harvester, (subfamily Miletinae), any of a group of predatory insects in the gossamer-winged butterfly family,......
harvester ant, any of several different genera of ants (e.g., Messor, Atta, Pheidole, Pogonomyrmex) that gather......
hawk moth, (family Sphingidae), any of a group of sleek-looking moths (order Lepidoptera) that are named for their......
heart urchin, any echinoid marine invertebrate of the order Spatangoidea (phylum Echinodermata), in which the body......
Heliophyllum, genus of extinct coral found as fossils in Devonian marine rocks (the Devonian Period began 416 million......
helmet shell, any marine snail of the family Cassidae (subclass Prosobranchia, class Gastropoda), characterized......
hemichordate, any of a group of wormlike marine invertebrates closely related to both chordates and echinoderms......
hermit crab, any crab of the families Paguridae and Coenobitidae (order Decapoda of the class Crustacea). These......
Hesperorthis, extinct genus of brachiopods, or lamp shells, which as fossils are especially characteristic of Ordovician......
heteropteran, (suborder Heteroptera), any member of the insect suborder Heteroptera (order Hemiptera), which comprises......
hister beetle, (family Histeridae), any of approximately 3,900 species of beetles (insect order Coleoptera) that......
Holectypus, genus of extinct echinoids, animals much like the modern sea urchins and sand dollars, found as fossils......
homopteran, (order Homoptera), any of more than 32,000 species of sucking insects, the members of which exhibit......
honey ant, any of several different species of ant that have developed a unique way of storing the honeydew, a......
honeybee, (tribe Apini), any of a small group of social bees that make honey. The tribe comprises a single genus......
hooded shrimp, any member of the order Cumacea (superorder Peracarida), a group of small, predominantly marine......
hookworm, any of several parasitic worms of the genera Necator and Ancylostoma belonging to the class Nematoda......
horn coral, any coral of the order Rugosa, which first appeared in the geologic record during the Ordovician Period,......
hornet, (genus Vespa), genus of about 20 species of the wasps (order Hymenoptera), most of which are native to......
horny sponge, any sponge of the orders Dictyoceratida and Dendroceratida (class Demospongiae). It has a skeleton......
horsehair worm, any of the approximately 250 to 300 species of the class Nematomorpha, or Gordiacea (phylum Aschelminthes).......
horseshoe crab, (order Xiphosura), common name of four species of marine arthropods (class Merostomata, subphylum......
During evenings of the full and new moons in the months of May and June, horseshoe crabs (Limulus polyphemus) spawn......
horseshoe shrimp, any member of the marine crustacean subclass Cephalocarida (class Crustacea), named because of......
horseshoe worm, phylum name Phoronida, a small group (about 12 species) of wormlike marine invertebrates that live......
What comes to mind when someone mentions bees or wasps or ants? Do you recoil a little bit at memories of painful......
In the public consciousness, titanic conflicts between giant squids (genus Architeuthis) and sperm whales (Physeter......
Most butterflies are light enough to drift on a breeze, yet millions of these fragile insects migrate across continents......
Like other insects, the cockroach does not have lungs. Instead, its respiratory system consists primarily of a......
Fireflies light up summer nights using a chemical process known as bioluminescence, the key chemical players of......
There are actually a number of different insects known as "glowworms," and they have a variety of mechanisms for......
The pearl-making process begins when a foreign particle, like a grain of sand or a tiny parasite, finds its way......
Spiders are a diverse group of arachnids, with over 51,500 identified species. While not all spiders spin webs,......
The speed of a snail varies depending on the species. Most prosobranchs—a group that includes some land, marine,......
Ticks are parasitic, blood-feeding arachnids with more than 800 species worldwide. They are remarkably resilient......
There are a number of species of social bees with colonies dependent on a queen. The most ubiquitous and well known......
Spiders typically have eight eyes, although some species may have fewer. The number and arrangement of eyes can......
An octopus has three hearts, facilitating efficient nutrient and oxygen delivery throughout its eight-armed body.......
Caterpillars are the larval form of moths, butterflies, and skippers. Like all insects, they have three pairs of......
Jellyfish are a diverse group of marine animals, and their tentacle count varies significantly across different......
A few years after humans first went to the Moon, Sea-Monkeys joined them. Let’s get the disappointment out of the......
human louse, (Pediculus humanus), a common species of sucking louse in the family Pediculidae (suborder Anoplura,......
Hydra, genus of invertebrate freshwater animals of the class Hydrozoa (phylum Cnidaria). The body of such an organism......
Hydractinia, genus of marine hydrozoan polyps (phylum Cnidaria), a group of invertebrate animals with a thin tubelike......
hydroid, any member of the invertebrate class Hydrozoa (phylum Cnidaria). Most hydroids inhabit marine environments,......
Hymenoptera, (order Hymenoptera), the third largest—and perhaps the most beneficial to humans—of all insect orders.......
Hyposmocoma, moth genus containing more than 350 described species in the family Cosmopterigidae (order Lepidoptera).......
ice bug, (order Grylloblatodea), any of approximately 35 species of rare and primitive insects found in the mountains......
immortal jellyfish, (Turritopsis dohrnii), species of tiny, translucent, jellyfish-like invertebrate animals of......
Did you know that there are more than 20,000 species of bees in the world? Unlike the iconic honeybee, most bees......
Inoceramus, genus of extinct pelecypods (clams) found as fossils in Jurassic to Cretaceous rocks (laid down between......
insect, (class Insecta or Hexapoda), any member of the largest class of the phylum Arthropoda, which is itself......
- Introduction
- Diversity, Adaptations, Habitats
- Pollination, Adaptation, Nutrition
- Crop Pests, Damage, Control
- Adaptation, Metamorphosis, Diversity
- Hormone Regulation, Metamorphosis, Adaptation
- Social Behavior, Colonies, Communication
- Thorax, Wings, Legs
- Hemolymph, Heart, Trachea
- Nerves, Sensory Organs, Reflexes
- Fossil, Adaptation, Evolution
- Metamorphosis, Adaptation, Morphology
- Orders, Morphology, Behavior
Insects might be small and common, but their survival strategies are anything but ordinary. While many use camouflage......
invertebrate, any animal that lacks a vertebral column, or backbone, in contrast to the cartilaginous or bony vertebrates.......
Irukandji jellyfish, any of at least 16 species of box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) known for their transparency,......
isopod, any member of the order Isopoda (class Crustacea), a group of diverse, widely occurring forms including......
Isotelus, genus of trilobites (extinct arthropods) restricted to Europe and North America during the Ordovician......
Japanese beetle, (species Popillia japonica), an insect that is a major pest and belongs to the subfamily Rutelinae......
jellyfish, any planktonic marine member of the class Scyphozoa (phylum Cnidaria), a group of invertebrate animals......
Jerusalem cricket, (subfamily Stenopelmatinae), any of about 50 species of insects in the family Stenopelmatidae......
jingle shell, any of several marine invertebrates of the class Bivalvia belonging to the family Anomiidae. In most......
Jonah crab, North American crab species (Cancer borealis) closely related to the Dungeness crab...
joro spider, (Trichonephila clavata), large and visually striking orb weaver spider. Native to Asia, including......
jumping ant spider, (Myrmarachne formicaria), species of jumping spider that mimics a redwood ant (Formica rufa)......
jumping plant louse, any member of the approximately 2,000 species of the insect family Psyllidae (order Homoptera).......
jumping spider, (family Salticidae), any of more than 6,000 species of spiders (order Araneae) known for their......
June bug, (genus Phyllophaga), genus of nearly 300 species of plant-eating beetles that commonly appear in the......
katydid, (family Tettigoniidae), any of about 8,000 predominantly nocturnal insects that are related to crickets......
kelp crab, Pacific species of spider crab...
kermes, (Kermes ilicis), a species of scale insect in the family Kermesidae (order Homoptera), the common name......
king crab, (Paralithodes camtschaticus), marine crustacean of the order Decapoda, class Malacostraca. This edible......
kinorhynch, any of the approximately 150 species of microscopic marine invertebrates of the phylum Kinorhyncha,......
krill, any member of the crustacean order Euphausiacea or of the genus Euphausia within that suborder. Euphausiids......
lace bug, (family Tingidae), any of about 800 species of insects (order Heteroptera) in which the adult, usually......
ladybug, (family Coccinellidae), family of approximately 5,000 widely distributed species of beetles. The name......
lamp shells, any member of the phylum Brachiopoda, a group of bottom-dwelling marine invertebrates. They are covered......
land crab, any crab of the family Gecarcinidae (order Decapoda of the class Crustacea), typically terrestrial,......
land snail, any of the approximately 35,000 species of snails (phylum Mollusca) adapted to life away from water.......
lanternfly, (Lanternaria phosphorea), a large, brightly coloured South American plant hopper (order Homoptera)......
lappet, any member of the insect genus Tolype of the Lasiocampidae family of moths (order Lepidoptera). The genus......
leaf beetle, (family Chrysomelidae), any of approximately 35,000 species of beetles that occur throughout the world......
leaf insect, (family Phylliidae), any of more than 50 species of flat, usually green insects that are known for......
leaf roller moth, any member of the worldwide insect family Tortricidae (order Lepidoptera), named for the characteristic......
leaf-cutter bee, (family Megachilidae), any of a group of bees (order Hymenoptera), particularly genus Megachile,......