Post It On KidzTalk Homework Help
Report a search problem
mobile version
Copyright 2005-2024 KidzSearch.com
Insecta Temporal range: Ordovician ~479 mya to present | |
---|---|
Clockwise from top left: dance fly, long-nosed weevil, mole cricket, wasp, emperor gum moth, assassin bug | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Arthropoda |
Clade: | Pancrustacea |
Subphylum: | Hexapoda |
Class: | Insecta Linnaeus |
Subgroups | |
Synonyms | |
|
Insects are a class in the phylum Arthropoda. They are small terrestrial invertebrates which have a hard exoskeleton.
Insects are the largest group of animals on Earth by far: about 926,400 different species have been described. They are more than half of all known living species. They may be over 90% of animal species on Earth.
New species of insects are continually being found. Estimates of the total number of species range from 2 million to 30 million.
All adult insects have six legs; and most have wings. Insects were the first animals capable of flight.As they develop from eggs, insects undergo metamorphosis. Insects live all over the planet: almost all are terrestrial (live on land). Few insects live in the oceans or in very cold places, such as Antarctica. The most species live in tropical areas.