AGRI Grovestudies
ENTOMOLOGY
The term entomology is derived from two Greek words. Entomon means an insect and logos means to study.
The term ‘insect’ is derived from the Latin word insectum which means ‘cut into’.
1 st Entomologist to Govt. of India - Lionel de Nicevel (1901)
‘Entomology in India’ was published in 1964.
CLASSIFICATION CATEGORIES
Kingdom: Animal
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Scolytidae
Genus: Dendroctonus
Species: frontalis
Introduction To Phylum Arthropoda
There are about 1-2 million species of animals in the world and more than 70 per cent of these are insects.
Insects are invertebrates grouped in the phylum Arthropoda
(Arthro-joint, poda-foot) and subphylum Uniramia. Characters of the
Phylum Arthropoda are
- Segmented body
- Renewable chitinous exoskeleton
- Bilateral symmetry of body.
- Paired, segmented appendages
- Body cavity filled with blood and called as haemocoel.
- Tubular alimentary canal with mouth and anus at anterior and posterior ends.
- Dorsal heart with valve like ostia.
- Dorsal brain with ventral nerve cord.
- Striated muscles (with dark and light bands).
- No cilia (hair like vibratile structure on the surface of the cell).
Reasons for dominance
There are several structural, morphological and physiological factors responsible for insect dominance. They are:1. Capacity for flight
2. More adaptability
3. Smaller size: Majority of insects are small in their size conferring the following
physiological and ecological advantages.
4. Presence of exoskeleton: Insect body is covered with an outer cuticle called
exoskeleton which is made up of a cuticular protein called Chitin. This is light
in weight and gives strength, rigidity and flexibility to the insect body.
6. Tracheal system of respiration:
7. Higher reproductive potential: Reproductive potential of
insect is high
Eg.- Egg laying capacity of queen termite is 6000-
7000 eggs per day for 15 long years.
