Insects are amazing creature. They belong to the Animal kingdom, like you and I. We also belong to the phylum Cordata which includes the well-known vertebrates like fish, birds, dogs, monkeys, and man. Insects, however, belong to the phylum Arthropoda, which in Greek roughly translates to jointed-foot. Where we have bones covered by muscle and tissue, Arthropods were the skeleton on the outside. This is called an exoskeleton. Lobster, spiders, centipedes, beetles and butterflies all belong to the phylum Arthropoda. In fact, Arthropoda is the largest of all of the phylums.

The tree of life is broken down even further, into Classes.  We belong to the Class called Mammalia. We have fur, are warm-blooded, and give live birth to our young. Beetles, butterflies, bugs, flies, gnats, roaches, ants, and the wasp pictured above, all belong to the Class Insecta. Insects have an exoskeleton, are cold-blooded, and lay eggs as opposed to live birth. All insects have three body segments, and three pairs of legs. Most adult insects have wings. No other Arthropod has wings, only insects.

The class Insecta is the largest and most diverse class in the Animal kingdom. With over 900,000 identified species, entomologists believe that over 1,000,000 insects are still un-identified and have yet to be discovered. With the majority of insect species still undiscovered, the chances are pretty good that you or I might come across an insect that is as yet unidentified. What would you name your new insect species?