Pterygota

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Pterygota
Honeybee (order Hymenoptera)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Subclass: Pterygota Lang, 1888
Orders
Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Infraclass: Neoptera Orders Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Caloneurodea - extinct Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (walking sticks) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea Titanoptera - extinct Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Superorder: Exopterygota Orders Psocoptera (booklice, barklice) Thysanoptera (thrips) Phthiraptera (lice) Hemiptera (true bugs) Superorder: Endopterygota Orders Raphidioptera (snakeflies) Megaloptera (alderflies, etc.) Neuroptera (net-veined insects) Coleoptera (beetles) Strepsiptera (twisted-winged parasites) Mecoptera (scorpionflies, etc.) Siphonaptera (fleas) Diptera (true flies) Strepsiptera (twisted-winged parasites) Trichoptera (caddisflies) Lepidoptera (butterflies, moths) Hymenoptera (ants, bees, etc.) Miomoptera - extinct Protodiptera extinct

Pterygota is a subclass of insects that includes the winged insects. It also includes insect orders that are secondarily wingless (that is, insect groups whose ancestors once had wings but that have lost them as a result of subsequent evolution).

The pterygotan group comprises almost all insects. The hexapod orders not included are the Microcoryphia (jumping bristletails) and the Thysanura (silverfishes and firebrats), and two primitively wingless insect orders. Also not included are the three orders that are no longer considered to be insects: Protura, Collembola, and Diplura.