Insect flightInsects are the only group of invertebrates that have evolved wings and flight. Insects first flew in the Carboniferous, some 300 to 350 million years ago, making them the first animals to evolve flight. Wings may have evolved from appendages on the sides of existing limbs, which already had nerves, joints, and muscles used for other purposes. These may initially have been used for sailing on water, or to slow the rate of descent when gliding.
NeopteraNeoptera (Ancient Greeknéos ("new") + pterón ("wing")) is a classification group that includes most orders of the winged insects, specifically those that can flex their wings over their abdomens. This is in contrast with the more basalorders of winged insects (the "Palaeoptera" assemblage), which are unable to flex their wings in this way. ClassificationThe taxon Neoptera was proposed by А.М.
MayflyAquatic insects of the order EphemeropteraMayflies (also up-winged flies or up-wing flies, or drake-flies in the UK; shadflies or fishflies in northern U.S. and Canada) are aquatic insects belonging to the orderEphemeroptera. This order is part of an ancient group of insects termed the Palaeoptera, which also contains dragonflies and damselflies. Over 3,000 species of mayfly are known worldwide, grouped into over 400 genera in 42 families.
DragonflyA dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorderAnisoptera below the orderOdonata. About 3,000 extant species of dragonflies are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threatens dragonfly populations around the world. Adult dragonflies are characterised by a pair of large, multifaceted, compound eyes, two pairs of strong, transparent wings, sometimes with coloured patches, and an elongated body.
ApterygotaThe name Apterygota is sometimes applied to a former subclass of small, agile insects, distinguished from other insects by their lack of wings in the present and in their evolutionary history; notable examples are the silverfish, the firebrat, and the jumping bristletails. Their first known occurrence in the fossil record is during the Devonian period, 417–354 million years ago.
PterygotaPterygota (Ancient Greek: πτερυγωτός, romanized: pterugōtós, lit.'winged') is a subclass of insects that includes all winged insects and groups which lost them secondarily. Pterygota group comprises 99.9% of all insects. The orders not included are the Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) and the Zygentoma (silverfishes and firebrats), two primitively wingless insect orders.
Wastebasket taxonWastebasket taxon (also called a waste-bin taxon, dustbin taxon or catch-all taxon) is a term used by some taxonomists to refer to a taxon that has the purpose of classifying organisms that do not fit anywhere else. They are typically defined by either their designated members' often-superficial similarity to each other, or their lack of one or more distinct character states or by their not belonging to one or more other taxa.
Cellular differentiationStem cell differentiation into various animal tissue typesCell-count distribution featuring cellular differentiation for three types of cells (progenitor z{\displaystyle z}, osteoblast y{\displaystyle y}, and chondrocyte x{\displaystyle x}) exposed to pro-osteoblast stimulus.Cellular differentiation, also known as cellular specification, is the process in which a stem cell changes from one type to a differentiated one. Usually, the cell changes to a more specialized type.
DiaphanopterodeaThe Diaphanopterodea or Paramegasecoptera are an extinct order of moderate to large-sized Palaeozoic insects. They are first known from the Middle Carboniferous (late Serpukhovian or early Bashkirian in age), and include some of the earliest known flying insects.
Convergent evolutionConvergent evolution is the independent evolution of similar features in species of different lineages. Convergent evolution creates analogous structures that have similar form or function but were not present in the last common ancestor of those groups. The cladistic term for the same phenomenon is homoplasy. The recurrent evolution of flight is a classic example, as flying insects, birds, pterosaurs, and bats have independently evolved the useful capacity of flight.
AbdomenAn abdomen (also belly or stomach in vertebrates, or metasoma in arthropods) is the front part of the torso between the thorax (chest) and pelvis in humans and in other vertebrates. The area occupied by the abdomen is called the abdominal cavity. In arthropods, it is the posterior tagma of the body; it follows the thorax or cephalothorax. In humans, the abdomen stretches from the thorax at the thoracic diaphragm to the pelvis at the pelvic brim.
MonophylyIn biological cladistics for the classification of organisms, monophyly is the condition of a taxonomic grouping being a clade – that is, a grouping of organisms which meets these criteria: the grouping contains its own most recent common ancestor (or more precisely an ancestral population), i.e. excludes non-descendants of that common ancestorthe grouping contains all the descendants of that common ancestor, without exceptionMonophyly is contrasted with paraphyly and polyphyly as shown in the second diagram.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.