| Insects |
Insects are the largest and most diverse group of animals, with approximately 30 orders and over 1,000,000 named species. They make nearly 60% of 1,700,000 described species of all living organisms. Amazingly, up 70-80% of insects, mostly small-bodied species from the tropics, remain undescribed, and the estimated number of species may range from 2,000,000 to staggering 7,800,000 million!
Five orders contribute almost 90% to insect diversity:
| Coleoptera (Beetles) | 375,000 species |
| Lepidoptera (Butterflies and Moths) | 180,000 species |
| Hymenoptera (Wasps, Bees, and Ants) | 130,000 species |
| Diptera (Flies and Mosquitos) | 125,000 species |
| Hemiptera (Bugs, Cicadas, Treehoppers) | 82,000 species |
The beetles (Coleoptera) alone make up to 40% of named insect species, and could number between 900,000 and 2,100,000 species, once all taxa will have been described. Some entomological authorities projected that the Diptera and the Hymenoptera could match or even exceed the Coleoptera in the number of undescribed species.
Our collection of insect images is very modest, because insects, and invertebrates in general, are not our speciality. We usually photograph insects, while looking for other forms of life. On this website we present about 500 identified species, and more than half of these are Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths). This is only 0.03% of all insects, if we go by the most conservative estimate of one million species, or 0.004% of 7,800,000 million species!
| Lepidoptera - Butterflies and Moths | ||
| Coleoptera - Beetles | ||
| Odonata - Dragonflies and Damselflies | ||
| Orthoptera - Grasshoppers Katydids, and Crickets | ||
| Hymenoptera - Wasps, Bees, Sawflies, and Ants | ||
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Hemiptera (Bugs, Cicadas, Treehoppers, and Lantern Flies) |
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| Diptera - Flies and Mosquitoes | ||
| Phasmatodea - Sticks Insects | ||
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Neuroptera (Lacewings, Mantidflies, and Antlions) |
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Megaloptera (Alderflies, Dobsonflies, and Fishflies) |
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Blattodea (Cockroaches and Termites) |
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Mantodea (Mantises) |
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Psocoptera (Booklice and Barklice) |
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Trichoptera (Caddisflies) |
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| Unauthorized use of our images is NOT permitted. | ||
| Hotlinking or "pinning" of our images to websites is STRICTLY PROHIBITED. | ||
| Copyright © Michael Patrikeev - All Rights Reserved | ||
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