Author: Venkateshkumar

Aphid juvenile

Aphids are small sap sucking insects and member of superfamily Aphidoidea.  Aphids are the most destructive insect pests in temperate regions . They are commonly known as greenfly and black fly. Flightless females are giving birth to female nymphs without the involvement of male.

Antenna of cricket

Crickets have a pair of  long slender antennae arising from cone-shaped scapes (first segments) and just behind of antennae, there are two large compound eyes. Insects use antenna as a sensory organ.

Cercus of cricket

Crickets belong to order Orthoptera. They have a pair of cercus at the end of the abdomen. The cercus is a pair of appendages at the end of the gut of some insects and other arthropods. Many forms of cerci serve as a sensory organ, but some serve as pinching weapons. In many insects, they…

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Leg of termite

Termites belong to infra-order  Isoptera.  Termites are significant detritivores, particularly in subtropical and tropical regions. The body is divided into head, thorax, and abdomen, and each thoracic segment contains a pair of the leg. The parts leg includes a coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia and the tarsus. 

Leg of termite

Leg of lady beetle larva

Lady beetle belongs to order Coleoptera. These are considered as useful insects because they prey on aphids or scale insect pests. Larva of lady beetle has long bodied with six legs. With the help of legs it can move from one location to another on plants in search of predators. Larva is a voracious predator…

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Leg of Mango leaf hopper

The hind leg of leafhopper are modifies for jumping and are covered with hairs which are covered with hairs that facilitate the spreading of secretion over their bodies and act as a water repellent and carrier of pheromones.

Picture of Aphid taken by Foldscope

Aphid, member of the order Homoptera, is probably the most notorious pests in the world.   An aphid feeds on plants by inserting its proboscis, stylet or straw like mouthpart into phloem or inner cells of plant. Upon insertion the aphid draws the plant’s juice or sap. This feeding activity will normally cause leaf and stem…

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Wing of winged Aphid

Aphids are small sap sucking insects and members of the superfamily Aphidoideae. Common names include greenfly and black fly.  A typical life cycle involves flightless female giving living birth to female nymphs without the involvement of male. Winged females may develop later in the season, allowing the insects colonies new plants. 

Mango leaf hopper

Mango leafhopper belongs to the family Cicadellidae. This minute insects are feeder that sucks plant sap. Nymphs and adults are sucking phloem sap from the inflorescences and leaves of the host plants.

Mouth of red cotton bug (Dysdercus)

The beak-like mouth part or rostrum has four segment segments and tip reaches at the base of the middle pair of legs. This mouth part is piercing and sucking type.

Antenna of red cotton bud (Dysdercus)

The antennae are the insect’s nose- they are used for the sense of smell. The pair of antennae is made is made up of joints this means they very mobile.

Compound eye of red cotton bud (Dysdercus)

Like other insects cotton bug has compound eyes. Their eyes are called compound eyes because they are made up of repeating units, ommatidia, each of which functions as a separate visual receptor.

Fore wing of red cotton bug (Dysdercus)

 Dysdercus is commonly known as red cotton bug. It is a pest of cotton plant. The adult cotton bug has pair of black spot on the forewings. This wing is called hemielytra. The basal half of the wing is thick and leathery. The distal half in membranous. They are protective in function and not involved…

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Hind wing of black shiny leaf beetle (Paria sp.)

Beetle wings are composed of forewing known as elytron and hind wing. The elytra are rigid. A beetle’s functional wings which flying, are the hind wings. Hind wings are thin are kept under the elytra when are rest.

Inverted egg of Lady Beetle

Adult female ladybird beetles usually lay clusters of eggs on plants in the vicinity of aphis, scale, or mealybug colonies.