Evans 4 Animal Life Encyclopedia 3

Grzimek’s
Animal Life Encyclopedia
Second Edition
●●●●


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Grzimek’s
Animal Life Encyclopedia
Second Edition
●●●●

Volume 3
Insects
Arthur V. Evans, Advisory Editor
Rosser W. Garrison, Advisory Editor
Neil Schlager, Editor
Joseph E. Trumpey, Chief Scientific Illustrator

Michael Hutchins, Series Editor
In association with the American Zoo and Aquarium Association


Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, Second Edition
Volume 3: Insects
Produced by Schlager Group Inc.
Neil Schlager, Editor
Vanessa Torrado-Caputo, Associate Editor

Project Editor
Melissa C. McDade

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Cover photo of American hover fly
(Metasyrphus americanus) by E. R. Degginger,
Bruce Coleman, Inc. Back cover photos of sea
anemone by AP/Wide World Photos/University
of Wisconsin-Superior; land snail, lionfish,
golden frog, and green python by JLM

Visuals; red-legged locust © 2001 Susan Sam;
hornbill by Margaret F. Kinnaird; and tiger by
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ISBN

0-7876-5362-4 (vols. 1–17 set)
0-7876-5779-4 (vol. 3)
This title is also available as an e-book.
ISBN
0-7876-7750-7 (17-vol set)
Contact your Gale sales representative for
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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA
Grzimek, Bernhard.

[Tierleben. English]
Grzimek’s animal life encyclopedia.— 2nd ed.
v. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
Contents: v. 1. Lower metazoans and lesser deuterosomes / Neil Schlager, editor
— v. 2. Protostomes / Neil Schlager, editor — v. 3. Insects / Neil Schlager, editor —
v. 4-5. Fishes I-II / Neil Schlager, editor — v. 6. Amphibians / Neil Schlager, editor
— v. 7. Reptiles / Neil Schlager, editor — v. 8-11. Birds I-IV / Donna Olendorf, editor — v. 12-16. Mammals I-V / Melissa C. McDade, editor — v. 17. Cumulative
index / Melissa C. McDade, editor.
ISBN 0-7876-5362-4 (set hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Zoology—Encyclopedias. I. Title: Animal life encyclopedia. II.
Schlager, Neil, 1966- III. Olendorf, Donna IV. McDade, Melissa C. V. American Zoo
and Aquarium Association. VI. Title.
QL7 .G7813 2004
590Ј.3—dc21
2002003351

Printed in Canada
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Recommended citation: Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, 2nd edition. Volume 3, Insects, edited by Michael Hutchins, Arthur V. Evans, Rosser W. Garrison, and Neil Schlager. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale Group, 2003.


•••••

Contents

Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
How to use this book. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Advisory boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Contributing writers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contributing illustrators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

vii
x
xii
xiv
xvi

Order MANTODEA
Mantids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

3
7
17
32
42
53
60
68
75
85

Order ORTHOPTERA
Grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Volume 3: Insects

What is an insect?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Evolution and systematics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Structure and function. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Life history and reproduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ecology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Distribution and biogeography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Behavior. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Social insects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Insects and humans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Conservation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Order PROTURA
Proturans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Order COLLEMBOLA
Springtails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
Order DIPLURA
Diplurans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107

Order GRYLLOBLATTODEA
Rock-crawlers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
Order DERMAPTERA
Earwigs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Order MANTOPHASMATODEA
Heel-walkers or gladiators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
Order PHASMIDA
Stick and leaf insects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Order EMBIOPTERA
Webspinners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
Order ZORAPTERA
Zorapterans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
Order PSOCOPTERA

Book lice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
Order PHTHIRAPTERA
Chewing and sucking lice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249

Order MICROCORYPHIA
Bristletails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Order HEMIPTERA
True bugs, cicadas, leafhoppers, aphids,
mealy bugs, and scale insects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Order THYSANURA
Silverfish and fire brats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

Order THYSANOPTERA
Thrips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281

Order EPHEMEROPTERA
Mayflies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125

Order MEGALOPTERA
Dobsonflies, fishflies, and alderflies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289

Order ODONATA
Dragonflies and damselflies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

Order RAPHIDIOPTERA
Snakeflies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Order PLECOPTERA

Stoneflies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141

Order NEUROPTERA
Lacewings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

Order BLATTODEA
Cockroaches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

Order COLEOPTERA
Beetles and weevils . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Order ISOPTERA
Termites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161

Order STREPSIPTERA
Strepsipterans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

v


Contents

Order MECOPTERA
Scorpion flies and hanging flies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
Order SIPHONAPTERA
Fleas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Order DIPTERA
Mosquitoes, midges, and flies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

Order TRICHOPTERA
Caddisflies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
Order LEPIDOPTERA
Butterflies, skippers, and moths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383

vi

Order HYMENOPTERA
Sawflies, ants, bees, and wasps. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
For further reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Contributors to the first edition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Insects family list. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Geologic time scale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

427
432
434
441
445
452
453

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia


•••••

Foreword

Earth is teeming with life. No one knows exactly how
many distinct organisms inhabit our planet, but more than 5
million different species of animals and plants could exist,
ranging from microscopic algae and bacteria to gigantic elephants, redwood trees and blue whales. Yet, throughout this
wonderful tapestry of living creatures, there runs a single
thread: Deoxyribonucleic acid or DNA. The existence of
DNA, an elegant, twisted organic molecule that is the building block of all life, is perhaps the best evidence that all living organisms on this planet share a common ancestry. Our
ancient connection to the living world may drive our curiosity, and perhaps also explain our seemingly insatiable desire for information about animals and nature. Noted
zoologist, E. O. Wilson, recently coined the term “biophilia”
to describe this phenomenon. The term is derived from the
Greek bios meaning “life” and philos meaning “love.” Wilson
argues that we are human because of our innate affinity to
and interest in the other organisms with which we share our
planet. They are, as he says, “the matrix in which the human
mind originated and is permanently rooted.” To put it simply and metaphorically, our love for nature flows in our blood
and is deeply engrained in both our psyche and cultural traditions.
Our own personal awakenings to the natural world are as
diverse as humanity itself. I spent my early childhood in rural
Iowa where nature was an integral part of my life. My father
and I spent many hours collecting, identifying and studying
local insects, amphibians and reptiles. These experiences had
a significant impact on my early intellectual and even spiritual development. One event I can recall most vividly. I had
collected a cocoon in a field near my home in early spring.
The large, silky capsule was attached to a stick. I brought the
cocoon back to my room and placed it in a jar on top of my
dresser. I remember waking one morning and, there, perched
on the tip of the stick was a large moth, slowly moving its
delicate, light green wings in the early morning sunlight. It

took my breath away. To my inexperienced eyes, it was one
of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. I knew it was a
moth, but did not know which species. Upon closer examination, I noticed two moon-like markings on the wings and
also noted that the wings had long “tails”, much like the ubiquitous tiger swallow-tail butterflies that visited the lilac bush
in our backyard. Not wanting to suffer my ignorance any
Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

longer, I reached immediately for my Golden Guide to North
American Insects and searched through the section on moths
and butterflies. It was a luna moth! My heart was pounding
with the excitement of new knowledge as I ran to share the
discovery with my parents.
I consider myself very fortunate to have made a living as
a professional biologist and conservationist for the past 20
years. I’ve traveled to over 30 countries and six continents to
study and photograph wildlife or to attend related conferences
and meetings. Yet, each time I encounter a new and unusual
animal or habitat my heart still races with the same excitement of my youth. If this is biophilia, then I certainly possess
it, and it is my hope that others will experience it too. I am
therefore extremely proud to have served as the series editor
for the Gale Group’s rewrite of Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia, one of the best known and widely used reference
works on the animal world. Grzimek’s is a celebration of animals, a snapshot of our current knowledge of the Earth’s incredible range of biological diversity. Although many other
animal encyclopedias exist, Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia
remains unparalleled in its size and in the breadth of topics
and organisms it covers.
The revision of these volumes could not come at a more
opportune time. In fact, there is a desperate need for a deeper
understanding and appreciation of our natural world. Many
species are classified as threatened or endangered, and the situation is expected to get much worse before it gets better.
Species extinction has always been part of the evolutionary

history of life; some organisms adapt to changing circumstances and some do not. However, the current rate of species
loss is now estimated to be 1,000–10,000 times the normal
“background” rate of extinction since life began on Earth
some 4 billion years ago. The primary factor responsible for
this decline in biological diversity is the exponential growth
of human populations, combined with peoples’ unsustainable
appetite for natural resources, such as land, water, minerals,
oil, and timber. The world’s human population now exceeds
6 billion, and even though the average birth rate has begun
to decline, most demographers believe that the global human
population will reach 8–10 billion in the next 50 years. Much
of this projected growth will occur in developing countries in
Central and South America, Asia and Africa-regions that are
rich in unique biological diversity.
vii


Foreword

Finding solutions to conservation challenges will not be
easy in today’s human-dominated world. A growing number
of people live in urban settings and are becoming increasingly
isolated from nature. They “hunt” in supermarkets and malls,
live in apartments and houses, spend their time watching television and searching the World Wide Web. Children and
adults must be taught to value biological diversity and the
habitats that support it. Education is of prime importance now
while we still have time to respond to the impending crisis.
There still exist in many parts of the world large numbers of
biological “hotspots”—places that are relatively unaffected by
humans and which still contain a rich store of their original

animal and plant life. These living repositories, along with selected populations of animals and plants held in professionally managed zoos, aquariums and botanical gardens, could
provide the basis for restoring the planet’s biological wealth
and ecological health. This encyclopedia and the collective
knowledge it represents can assist in educating people about
animals and their ecological and cultural significance. Perhaps
it will also assist others in making deeper connections to nature and spreading biophilia. Information on the conservation status, threats and efforts to preserve various species have
been integrated into this revision. We have also included information on the cultural significance of animals, including
their roles in art and religion.

a system of protected areas where wildlife can roam free from
exploitation of any kind.

It was over 30 years ago that Dr. Bernhard Grzimek, then
director of the Frankfurt Zoo in Frankfurt, Germany, edited
the first edition of Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia. Dr. Grzimek was among the world’s best known zoo directors and
conservationists. He was a prolific author, publishing nine
books. Among his contributions were: Serengeti Shall Not Die,
Rhinos Belong to Everybody and He and I and the Elephants. Dr.
Grzimek’s career was remarkable. He was one of the first
modern zoo or aquarium directors to understand the importance of zoo involvement in in situ conservation, that is, of
their role in preserving wildlife in nature. During his tenure,
Frankfurt Zoo became one of the leading western advocates
and supporters of wildlife conservation in East Africa. Dr.
Grzimek served as a Trustee of the National Parks Board of
Uganda and Tanzania and assisted in the development of several protected areas. The film he made with his son Michael,
Serengeti Shall Not Die, won the 1959 Oscar for best documentary.

Dr. Grzimek’s hope in publishing his Animal Life Encyclopedia was that it would “...disseminate knowledge of the animals and love for them,” so that future generations would
“...have an opportunity to live together with the great diversity of these magnificent creatures.” As stated above, our goals
in producing this updated and revised edition are similar.

However, our challenges in producing this encyclopedia were
more formidable. The volume of knowledge to be summarized is certainly much greater in the twenty-first century than
it was in the 1970’s and 80’s. Scientists, both professional and
amateur, have learned and published a great deal about the
animal kingdom in the past three decades, and our understanding of biological and ecological theory has also progressed. Perhaps our greatest hurdle in producing this revision
was to include the new information, while at the same time
retaining some of the characteristics that have made Grzimek’s
Animal Life Encyclopedia so popular. We have therefore strived
to retain the series’ narrative style, while giving the information more organizational structure. Unlike the original Grzimek’s, this updated version organizes information under
specific topic areas, such as reproduction, behavior, ecology
and so forth. In addition, the basic organizational structure is
generally consistent from one volume to the next, regardless
of the animal groups covered. This should make it easier for
users to locate information more quickly and efficiently. Like
the original Grzimek’s, we have done our best to avoid any
overly technical language that would make the work difficult
to understand by non-biologists. When certain technical expressions were necessary, we have included explanations or
clarifications.

Professor Grzimek has recently been criticized by some
for his failure to consider the human element in wildlife conservation. He once wrote: “A national park must remain a primordial wilderness to be effective. No men, not even native
ones, should live inside its borders.” Such ideas, although considered politically incorrect by many, may in retrospect actually prove to be true. Human populations throughout Africa
continue to grow exponentially, forcing wildlife into small islands of natural habitat surrounded by a sea of humanity. The
illegal commercial bushmeat trade—the hunting of endangered wild animals for large scale human consumption—is
pushing many species, including our closest relatives, the gorillas, bonobos and chimpanzees, to the brink of extinction.
The trade is driven by widespread poverty and lack of economic alternatives. In order for some species to survive it will
be necessary, as Grzimek suggested, to establish and enforce
viii

While it is clear that modern conservation must take the

needs of both wildlife and people into consideration, what will
the quality of human life be if the collective impact of shortterm economic decisions is allowed to drive wildlife populations into irreversible extinction? Many rural populations
living in areas of high biodiversity are dependent on wild animals as their major source of protein. In addition, wildlife
tourism is the primary source of foreign currency in many developing countries and is critical to their financial and social
stability. When this source of protein and income is gone,
what will become of the local people? The loss of species is
not only a conservation disaster; it also has the potential to
be a human tragedy of immense proportions. Protected areas, such as national parks, and regulated hunting in areas outside of parks are the only solutions. What critics do not realize
is that the fate of wildlife and people in developing countries
is closely intertwined. Forests and savannas emptied of wildlife
will result in hungry, desperate people, and will, in the longterm lead to extreme poverty and social instability. Dr. Grzimek’s early contributions to conservation should be
recognized, not only as benefiting wildlife, but as benefiting
local people as well.

Considering the vast array of knowledge that such a work
represents, it would be impossible for any one zoologist to
have completed these volumes. We have therefore sought specialists from various disciplines to write the sections with
Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia


Foreword

which they are most familiar. As with the original Grzimek’s,
we have engaged the best scholars available to serve as topic
editors, writers, and consultants. There were some complaints
about inaccuracies in the original English version that may
have been due to mistakes or misinterpretation during the
complicated translation process. However, unlike the original Grzimek’s, which was translated from German, this revision has been completely re-written by English-speaking
scientists. This work was truly a cooperative endeavor, and I
thank all of those dedicated individuals who have written,

edited, consulted, drawn, photographed, or contributed to its
production in any way. The names of the topic editors, authors, and illustrators are presented in the list of contributors
in each individual volume.
The overall structure of this reference work is based on the
classification of animals into naturally related groups, a discipline known as taxonomy or biosystematics. Taxonomy is the
science through which various organisms are discovered, identified, described, named, classified and catalogued. It should be
noted that in preparing this volume we adopted what might be
termed a conservative approach, relying primarily on traditional animal classification schemes. Taxonomy has always been
a volatile field, with frequent arguments over the naming of or
evolutionary relationships between various organisms. The advent of DNA fingerprinting and other advanced biochemical
techniques has revolutionized the field and, not unexpectedly,
has produced both advances and confusion. In producing these
volumes, we have consulted with specialists to obtain the most
up-to-date information possible, but knowing that new findings may result in changes at any time. When scientific controversy over the classification of a particular animal or group
of animals existed, we did our best to point this out in the text.
Readers should note that it was impossible to include as
much detail on some animal groups as was provided on others. For example, the marine and freshwater fish, with vast
numbers of orders, families, and species, did not receive as

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

detailed a treatment as did the birds and mammals. Due to
practical and financial considerations, the publishers could
provide only so much space for each animal group. In such
cases, it was impossible to provide more than a broad overview
and to feature a few selected examples for the purposes of illustration. To help compensate, we have provided a few key
bibliographic references in each section to aid those interested in learning more. This is a common limitation in all reference works, but Grzimek’s Encyclopedia of Animal Life is still
the most comprehensive work of its kind.
I am indebted to the Gale Group, Inc. and Senior Editor
Donna Olendorf for selecting me as Series Editor for this project. It was an honor to follow in the footsteps of Dr. Grzimek and to play a key role in the revision that still bears his

name. Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia is being published
by the Gale Group, Inc. in affiliation with my employer, the
American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA), and I would
like to thank AZA Executive Director, Sydney J. Butler; AZA
Past-President Ted Beattie (John G. Shedd Aquarium,
Chicago, IL); and current AZA President, John Lewis (John
Ball Zoological Garden, Grand Rapids, MI), for approving
my participation. I would also like to thank AZA Conservation and Science Department Program Assistant, Michael
Souza, for his assistance during the project. The AZA is a professional membership association, representing 205 accredited zoological parks and aquariums in North America. As
Director/William Conway Chair, AZA Department of Conservation and Science, I feel that I am a philosophical descendant of Dr. Grzimek, whose many works I have collected
and read. The zoo and aquarium profession has come a long
way since the 1970s, due, in part, to innovative thinkers such
as Dr. Grzimek. I hope this latest revision of his work will
continue his extraordinary legacy.
Silver Spring, Maryland, 2001
Michael Hutchins
Series Editor

ix


•••••

How to use this book

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia is an internationally
prominent scientific reference compilation, first published in
German in the late 1960s, under the editorship of zoologist
Bernhard Grzimek (1909–1987). In a cooperative effort between Gale and the American Zoo and Aquarium Association,
the series has been completely revised and updated for the

first time in over 30 years. Gale expanded the series from 13
to 17 volumes, commissioned new color paintings, and updated the information so as to make the set easier to use. The
order of revisions is:
Volumes 8–11: Birds I–IV
Volume 6: Amphibians
Volume 7: Reptiles
Volumes 4–5: Fishes I–II
Volumes 12–16: Mammals I–V
Volume 3: Insects
Volume 2: Protostomes
Volume 1: Lower Metazoans and Lesser Deuterostomes
Volume 17: Cumulative Index

Organized by taxonomy
The overall structure of this reference work is based on
the classification of animals into naturally related groups, a
discipline known as taxonomy—the science in which various
organisms are discovered, identified, described, named, classified, and cataloged. Starting with the simplest life forms, the
lower metazoans and lesser deuterostomes, in Volume 1, the
series progresses through the more complex classes, concluding with the mammals in Volumes 12–16. Volume 17 is a
stand-alone cumulative index.
Organization of chapters within each volume reinforces
the taxonomic hierarchy. In the case of the volume on Insects,
introductory chapters describe general characteristics of all
insects, followed by taxonomic chapters dedicated to order.
Species accounts appear at the end of order chapters.
Introductory chapters have a loose structure, reminiscent
of the first edition. Chapters on orders, by contrast, are highly
structured, following a prescribed format of standard rubrics
that make information easy to find. These chapters typically

include:

x

Thumbnail introduction
Scientific name
Common name
Class
Order
Number of families
Main chapter
Evolution and systematics
Physical characteristics
Distribution
Habitat
Behavior
Feeding ecology and diet
Reproductive biology
Conservation status
Significance to humans
Species accounts
Common name
Scientific name
Family
Taxonomy
Other common names
Physical characteristics
Distribution
Habitat
Behavior

Feeding ecology and diet
Reproductive biology
Conservation status
Significance to humans
Resources
Books
Periodicals
Organizations
Other

Color graphics enhance understanding
Grzimek’s features approximately 3,500 color photos, including nearly 130 in the Insects volume; 3,500 total color
maps, including approximately 100 in the Insects volume; and
approximately 5,500 total color illustrations, including approximately 300 in the Insects volume. Each featured species

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia


How to use this book

of animal is accompanied by both a distribution map and an
illustration.
All maps in Grzimek’s were created specifically for the project by XNR Productions. Distribution information was provided by expert contributors and, if necessary, further
researched at the University of Michigan Zoological Museum
library. Maps are intended to show broad distribution, not
definitive ranges.
All the color illustrations in Grzimek’s were created specifically for the project by Michigan Science Art. Expert contributors recommended the species to be illustrated and
provided feedback to the artists, who supplemented this information with authoritative references and animal specimens
from the University of Michigan Zoological Museum library.
In addition to illustrations of species, Grzimek’s features drawings that illustrate characteristic traits and behaviors.

About the contributors
All of the chapters were written by entomologists who are
specialists on specific subjects and/or taxonomic groups. Topic
editors Arthur V. Evans and Rosser W. Garrison reviewed the
completed chapters to insure consistency and accuracy.

Standards employed
In preparing the volume on Insects, the editors relied primarily on the taxonomic structure outlined in The Insects of
Australia: A Textbook for Students and Research Workers, 2nd
edition, edited by the Division of Entomology, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (1991).
Systematics is a dynamic discipline in that new species are being discovered continuously, and new techniques (e.g., DNA
sequencing) frequently result in changes in the hypothesized
evolutionary relationships among various organisms. Consequently, controversy often exists regarding classification of a
particular animal or group of animals; such differences are
mentioned in the text.
Grzimek’s has been designed with ready reference in mind,
and the editors have standardized information wherever feasible. For Conservation status, Grzimek’s follows the IUCN
Red List system, developed by its Species Survival Commission. The Red List provides the world’s most comprehensive
inventory of the global conservation status of plants and animals. Using a set of criteria to evaluate extinction risk, the
IUCN recognizes the following categories: Extinct, Extinct
in the Wild, Critically Endangered, Endangered, Vulnerable,
Conservation Dependent, Near Threatened, Least Concern,
and Data Deficient. For a complete explanation of each category, visit the IUCN Web page at <
/themes/ssc/redlists/categor.htm>.
In addition to IUCN ratings, chapters may contain other
conservation information, such as a species’ inclusion on one
of three Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

Species (CITES) appendices. Adopted in 1975, CITES is a
global treaty whose focus is the protection of plant and animal species from unregulated international trade.
In the species accounts throughout the volume, the editors
have attempted to provide common names not only in English but also in French, German, Spanish, and local dialects.
Grzimek’s provides the following standard information on
lineage in the Taxonomy rubric of each species account: [First
described as] Raphidia flavipes [by] Stein, [in] 1863, [based on
a specimen from] Greece. The person’s name and date refer
to earliest identification of a species, although the species
name may have changed since first identification. However,
the entity of insect is the same.
Readers should note that within chapters, species accounts
are organized alphabetically by family name and then alphabetically by scientific name.

Anatomical illustrations
While the encyclopedia attempts to minimize scientific jargon, readers will encounter numerous technical terms related
to anatomy and physiology throughout the volume. To assist
readers in placing physiological terms in their proper context,
we have created a number of detailed anatomical drawings.
These can be found on pages 18 to 33 in the “Structure and
function” chapter. Readers are urged to make heavy use of
these drawings. In addition, many anatomical terms are defined in the Glossary at the back of the book.

Appendices and index
In addition to the main text and the aforementioned Glossary, the volume contains numerous other elements. For further reading directs readers to additional sources of information
about insects. Valuable contact information for Organizations
is also included in an appendix. An exhaustive Insects family
list records all families of insects as recognized by the editors
and contributors of the volume. And a full-color Geologic time

scale helps readers understand prehistoric time periods. Additionally, the volume contains a Subject index.

Acknowledgements
Gale would like to thank several individuals for their important contributions to the volume. Dr. Arthur V. Evans and
Dr. Rosser W. Garrison, topic editors for the Insects volume,
oversaw all phases of the volume, including creation of the
topic list, chapter review, and compilation of the appendices.
Neil Schlager, project manager for the Insects volume, and
Vanessa Torrado-Caputo, associate editor at Schlager Group,
coordinated the writing and editing of the text. Dr. Michael
Hutchins, chief consulting editor for the series, and Michael
Souza, program assistant, Department of Conservation and
Science at the American Zoo and Aquarium Association, provided valuable input and research support.

xi


•••••

Advisory boards

Series advisor
Michael Hutchins, PhD
Director of Conservation and Science/William Conway Chair
American Zoo and Aquarium Association
Silver Spring, Maryland

Subject advisors
Volume 1: Lower Metazoans and Lesser Deuterostomes

Dennis A. Thoney, PhD
Director, Marine Laboratory & Facilities
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California
Volume 2: Protostomes

Sean F. Craig, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Biological Sciences
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California
Dennis A. Thoney, PhD
Director, Marine Laboratory & Facilities
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California
Volume 3: Insects

Arthur V. Evans, DSc
Research Associate, Department of Entomology
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC
Rosser W. Garrison, PhD
Research Associate, Department of Entomology
Natural History Museum
Los Angeles, California
Volumes 4–5: Fishes I– II

Paul V. Loiselle, PhD
Curator, Freshwater Fishes
New York Aquarium
Brooklyn, New York

xii

Dennis A. Thoney, PhD
Director, Marine Laboratory & Facilities
Humboldt State University
Arcata, California
Volume 6: Amphibians

William E. Duellman, PhD
Curator of Herpetology Emeritus
Natural History Museum and Biodiversity Research Center
University of Kansas
Lawrence, Kansas
Volume 7: Reptiles

James B. Murphy, DSc
Smithsonian Research Associate
Department of Herpetology
National Zoological Park
Washington, DC
Volumes 8–11: Birds I–IV

Walter J. Bock, PhD
Permanent secretary, International Ornithological Congress
Professor of Evolutionary Biology
Department of Biological Sciences,
Columbia University
New York, New York
Jerome A. Jackson, PhD
Program Director, Whitaker Center for Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education

Florida Gulf Coast University
Ft. Myers, Florida
Volumes 12–16: Mammals I–V

Valerius Geist, PhD
Professor Emeritus of Environmental Science
University of Calgary
Calgary, Alberta
Canada
Devra G. Kleiman, PhD
Smithsonian Research Associate
Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia


Advisory boards

National Zoological Park
Washington, DC

Oklahoma City Zoo
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Library advisors

Charles Jones
Library Media Specialist
Plymouth Salem High School
Plymouth, Michigan

James Bobick

Head, Science & Technology Department
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Linda L. Coates
Associate Director of Libraries
Zoological Society of San Diego Library
San Diego, California
Lloyd Davidson, PhD
Life Sciences bibliographer and head, Access Services
Seeley G. Mudd Library for Science and Engineering
Evanston, Illinois
Thane Johnson
Librarian

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

Ken Kister
Reviewer/General Reference teacher
Tampa, Florida
Richard Nagler
Reference Librarian
Oakland Community College
Southfield Campus
Southfield, Michigan
Roland Person
Librarian, Science Division
Morris Library
Southern Illinois University
Carbondale, Illinois

xiii


•••••

Contributing writers

Insects
Elisa Angrisano, PhD
Universidad Nacional de Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Horst Aspöck, PhD
Department of Medical Parasitology,
Clinical Institute of Hygiene and
Medical Microbiology
University of Vienna
Vienna, Austria
Ulrike Aspöck, PhD
Natural History Museum of Vienna
and University of Vienna
Vienna, Austria
Axel O. Bachmann, Doctor en Ciencias Biológicas
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Conicet
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Günter Bechly, PhD
Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde
Stuttgart, Germany
Andrew F. G. Bourke, PhD
Zoological Society of London

London, United Kingdom
Paul D. Brock
Slough, United Kingdom
Reginald Chapman, DSc
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

Arthur V. Evans, DSc
Smithsonian Institution
Washington, DC

Timothy George Myles, PhD
University of Toronto
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Rosser W. Garrison, PhD
Natural History Museum
Los Angeles, California

Piotr Naskrecki, PhD
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Michael Hastriter, MS
Monte L. Bean Life Science Museum
Brigham Young University
Provo, Utah
Klaus-Dieter Klass, PhD
Museum für Tierkunde

Dresden, Germany
Marta Loiácono, DSc
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y
Museo
La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cecilia Margaría, Lic
Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y
Museo
La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cynthia L. Mazer, MS
Cleveland Botanical Garden
Cleveland, Ohio
Silvia A. Mazzucconi, Doctora en
Ciencias Biológicas
Universidad de Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires, Argentina

Timothy R. New
La Trobe University
Melbourne, Australia
Hubert Rausch
Scheibbs, Austria
Martha Victoria Rosett Lutz, PhD
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Louis M. Roth, PhD
Museum of Comparative Zoology
Harvard University
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Michael J. Samways, PhD

University of Stellenbosch
Maiteland, South Africa
Vincent S. Smith, PhD
University of Glasgow
Glasgow, United Kingdom
Kenneth Stewart, PhD
University of North Texas
Denton, Texas

Jeffrey A. Cole, BS
Natural History Museum
Los Angeles, California

Juan J. Morrone, PhD
Museo de Zoología, Facultad de
Ciencias
UNAM
Mexico City, Mexico

S. Y. Storozhenko
Institute of Biology and Soil Science,
Far East Branch of Russian Academy
of Sciences
Vladivostock, Russia

Eduardo Domínguez, PhD
Universidad Nacional de Tucumán
Tucumán, Argentina

Laurence A. Mound, DSc

The Natural History Museum
London, United Kingdom

Natalia von Ellenrieder, PhD
Natural History Museum
Los Angeles, California

xiv

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia


Contributing writers

Shaun L. Winterton, PhD
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

Kazunori Yoshizawa, PhD
Hokkaido University
Sapporo, Japan

xv


•••••

Contributing illustrators

Drawings by Michigan Science Art

Gillian Harris, BA

Joseph E. Trumpey, Director, AB, MFA
Science Illustration, School of Art and Design, University
of Michigan

Jonathan Higgins, BFA, MFA

Wendy Baker, ADN, BFA
Ryan Burkhalter, BFA, MFA
Brian Cressman, BFA, MFA

Amanda Humphrey, BFA
Emilia Kwiatkowski, BS, BFA
Jacqueline Mahannah, BFA, MFA
John Megahan, BA, BS, MS
Michelle L. Meneghini, BFA, MFA

Emily S. Damstra, BFA, MFA

Katie Nealis, BFA

Maggie Dongvillo, BFA

Laura E. Pabst, BFA

Barbara Duperron, BFA, MFA

Christina St. Clair, BFA

Jarrod Erdody, BA, MFA

Bruce D. Worden, BFA

Dan Erickson, BA, MS

Kristen Workman, BFA, MFA

Patricia Ferrer, AB, BFA, MFA
George Starr Hammond, BA, MS, PhD

Thanks are due to the University of Michigan, Museum of Zoology,
which provided specimens that served as models for the images.

Maps by XNR Productions
Paul Exner, Chief cartographer
XNR Productions, Madison, WI

Laura Exner

Tanya Buckingham

Cory Johnson

Jon Daugherity

Paula Robbins

xvi

Andy Grosvold

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia


•••••

Topic overviews
What is an insect?
Evolution and systematics
Structure and function
Life history and reproduction
Ecology
Distribution and biogeography
Behavior
Social insects
Insects and humans
Conservation


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•••••

What is an insect?

Overview
We live in the “age of insects.” Humans have walked on
Earth for only a mere fraction of the 350 million years that
insects have crawled, burrowed, jumped, bored, or flown on
the planet. Insects are the largest group of animals on Earth,
with over 1.5 million species known to science up to now, and
represent nearly one-half of all plants and animals. Although
scientists do not know how many insect species there are and
probably will never know, some researchers believe the number of species may reach 10 to 30 million. Even a “typical”

A nut weevil (Curculio nucum) larva emerging from a hole in a hazel nut.
(Photo by Kim Taylor. Bruce Coleman, Inc. Reproduced by permission.)
Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

backyard may contain several thousand species of insects, and
these populations may number into the millions. It is estimated that there are 200 million insects for every human alive
today. Just the total biomass of ants on Earth, representing
some 9,000 species, would outweigh that of humans twelve
times over. Insect habitats are disappearing faster than we can
catalog and classify the insects, and there are not enough

A mantid about to eat a jewelbug. (Photo by A. Captain/R. Kulkarni/
S. Thakur. Reproduced by permission.)
3


What is an insect?

Vol. 3: Insects

A leaf-footed bug (family Coreidae) caring for young, in Indonesia. (Photo by Jan Taylor. Bruce Coleman, Inc. Reproduced by permission.)

trained specialists to identify all the insect specimens housed
in the world’s museums.
The reproductive prowess of insects is well known. Developing quickly under ideal laboratory conditions, the fruit
fly (Drosophila melanogaster) can complete its entire life cycle
in about two weeks, producing 25 generations annually. Just
two flies would produce 100 flies in the next generation—50
males and 50 females. If these all survived to reproduce, the
resulting progeny would number 5,000 flies! Carried out to
the 25th generation, there would be 1.192 x 1041 flies, or a
ball of flies (1,000 per cubic inch) with a diameter of
96,372,988 mi (155, 097, 290 km), the distance from Earth
to the Sun. Fortunately this population explosion is held in
check by many factors. Most insects fail to reproduce, suffering the ravages of hungry predators, succumbing to disease
and parasites, or starving from lack of suitable food.

Physical characteristics
Insects are at once entirely familiar, yet completely alien.
Their jaws work from side to side, not up and down. Insect
eyes, if present, are each unblinking and composed of dozens,
hundreds, or even thousands of individual lenses. Insects feel,
taste, and smell the world through incredibly sensitive receptors borne on long and elaborate antennae, earlike structures
4

on their legs, or on incredibly responsive feet. Although they
lack nostrils or lungs, insects still breathe, thanks to small
holes located on the sides of their bodies behind their heads,
connected to an internal network of finely branched tubes.
Like other members of the phylum Arthropoda (which includes arachnids, horseshoe crabs, millipedes, centipedes, and

crustaceans), insects have ventral nerve cords and tough skeletons on the outside of their bodies. This external skeleton is
quite pliable and consists of a series of body divisions and
plates joined with flexible hinges that allow for considerable
movement.
As our knowledge of insects has increased, their classification has inevitably become more complex. They are now classified in the subphylum Hexapoda, and are characterized by
having three body regions (head, thorax, and abdomen) and a
three-segmented thorax bearing six legs. The orders Protura,
Collembola, and Diplura, formerly considered insects, now
make up the class Entognatha. Entognaths have mouthparts
recessed into the head capsule, reduced Malpighian tubules
(excretory tubes), and reduced or absent compound eyes.
The remaining orders treated in this volume are in the
class Insecta. Insects have external mouthparts that are exposed from the head capsule, lack muscles in the antennae beyond the first segment, have tarsi that are subdivided into
Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia


Vol. 3: Insects

tarsomeres, and females are equipped with ovipositors. The
word “insect” is derived from the Latin word insectum, meaning notched, and refers to their body segmentation. The second and third segments of the adult thorax often bear wings,
which may obscure its subdivisions.
Insects are one of only four classes of animals (with
pterosaurs, birds, and bats) to have achieved true flight, and
were the first to take to the air. The evolution of insect wings
was altogether different from that of the wings of other flying creatures, which developed from modified forelimbs. Instead, insect wings evolved from structures present in addition
to their legs, not unlike Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek
mythology. Long extinct dragonflies winged their way
through Carboniferous forests some 220 million years ago and
had wings measuring 27.6 in (700 mm) or more across. Today the record for wing width for an insect belongs to a noctuid moth from Brazil whose wings stretch 11 in (280 mm)
from tip to tip. Insects are limited in size by their external

skeletons and their mode of breathing. While most species
range in length from 0.04 to 0.4 in (1 to 10 mm), a few are
smaller than the largest Protozoa. The parasitic wasps that attack the eggs of other insects are less than 0.008 in (0.2 mm)
long, smaller than the period at the end of this sentence. Some
giant tropical insects, measuring 6.7 in (17 cm), are considerably larger than the smallest mammals.

What is an insect?

Behavior
The small size of insects has allowed them to colonize and
exploit innumerable habitats not available to larger animals.
Most species live among the canopies of lush tropical forests.
Some species are permanent residents of towering peaks some
19,685 ft (6,000 m) above sea level. Others live in eternal darkness within the deep recesses of subterranean caves. Some occupy extreme habitats such as the fringes of boiling hot
springs, briny salt lakes, sun-baked deserts, and even thick
pools of petroleum. The polar regions support a few insects
that manage to cling to life on surrounding islands or as parasites on Arctic and Antarctic vertebrates. Fewer still have
conquered the oceans, skating along the swelling surface. No
insects have managed to penetrate and conquer the depths of
freshwater lakes and oceans.
The feeding ecologies of insects are extremely varied, and
insects often dominate food webs in terms of both population
size and species richness. Equipped with chewing, piercing/
sucking mouthparts, or combinations thereof, insects cut, tear,
or imbibe a wide range of foodstuffs, including most plant and
animal tissues and their fluids. Plant-feeding insects attack all
vegetative and reproductive structures, while scavengers plumb
the soil and leaf litter for organic matter. Some species collect
plant and animal materials—not to eat, but to feed to their
young or use as mulch to grow fungus as food. Many ants

Zebra butterfly (Heliconius charitonia) feeding on flower nectar. (Photo by Jianming Li. Reproduced by permission.)
Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

5


What is an insect?

Vol. 3: Insects

A lanternfly in Koyna, Japan. (Photo by A. Captain/R. Kulkarni/S. Thakur. Reproduced by permission.)

“keep” caterpillars or aphids as if they were dairy cattle, milking them for fluids rich in carbohydrates. Predatory species
generally kill their prey outright; parasites and parasitoids feed

internally or externally on their hosts over a period of time or
make brief visits to acquire their blood meals.

Resources
Books
Borror, D. J., C. A. Triplehorn, and N. F. Johnson. An
Introduction to the Study of Insects. Philadelphia: Saunders
College Publishing, 1989.

CSIRO, ed. The Insects of Australia: A Textbook for Students and
Research Workers, 2nd ed. Carlton, Australia: Melbourne
University Press, 1990.
Periodicals
Hogue, C. L. “Cultural Entomology.” Annual Review of

Entomology 32 (1987): 181–199.
Arthur V. Evans, DSc

6

Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia


•••••

Evolution and systematics

Fossil insects and their significance
Given the tiny and delicate bodies of most insects, it is perhaps surprising that remains of these organisms can be preserved for millions of years. After all, most fossils represent
only hard parts of other organisms such as bones of vertebrates
or shells of mollusks. Fossil remains of soft-bodied animals such
as worms or jellyfish are extremely rare and can only be preserved under very special circumstances. In contrast to the large
number of living insect species, fossil insects are rare compared
to other groups. One obstacle for the fossilization of insects is
that most insect species do not live in water. Because they can
usually only be preserved as fossils in subaquatic sediments
(amber is an exception to this rule), they thus have to be accidentally displaced into the water of an ocean or a lake.
Since most insects are terrestrial animals, the fossil record
for these species is poor. Freshwater groups such as water-bugs
and water-beetles, as well as the larvae of mayflies, dragonflies,
stoneflies, alderflies, and the vast majority of caddisflies, live in
rivers or lakes, and their fossil record is much better. Comparatively few insect species live in brackish water and in the
tidal area of seashores, and only a single small group of waterbugs has evolved to conquer marine habitats: it is the extant
(i.e., living) sea skater, or water strider, genus Halobates of the
family Halobatidae, which only recently in Earth’s history

evolved to live on the surface of the ocean.
The first and most important prerequisite for fossilization
is the embedding of the insect body in a subaquatic environment with stagnant water that allows undisturbed formation
of layered sediments on the ground. Terrestrial insects can
be washed into lakes by floods, and flying insects can be blown
onto the surface of lakes or the sea during heavy storms.
Dwellers of rivers and brooks must also be washed into lakes,
lagoons, or the sea to become fossilized, because there are no
suitable sedimentation conditions in running water. Aquatic
insects that live in lakes and ponds can be preserved in sediments on the ground of their habitat, a type of preservation
known as “autochthonous preservation.”
Further conditions must be fulfilled for an insect to be fossilized. First, the insect must penetrate the water surface and
sink to the bottom. This is achieved most easily if the insect
is displaced alive into the water and drowns, so that its interGrzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

nal cavities become filled with water. Insects that have been
entangled in floating mats of algae can easily sink down more
rapidly with it. However, if dead or even desiccated insects are
blown onto the water surface, they may float for a very long
time and will start to rot or be eaten by fish, enhancing disarticulation of their bodies (especially wings), which will have
a chance to sink down and be preserved as isolated fossil remains. Dead terrestrial insects washed into water bodies by
rivers or floods can become completely fossilized depending
on the length of time and distance of specimen transport and
drift. Consequently, the state of preservation and the completeness of fossil insects are good indicators for the conditions of embedding. A further important factor is the chemical
makeup of the water where the insect is embedded. When the
water body includes an oxygen-rich zone with abundant fish
life, sinking insect bodies may be eaten by fish and never reach
the ground. In contrast, hostile conditions such as hypersalinity, digested sludge with poisonous hydrogen sulfide, and low
oxygen content prohibit the presence of ground-dwelling scavengers (e.g., worms, mollusks, and crustaceans) and make the
preservation of insect fossils more likely. Such conditions near

the bottom of the water body usually are present only in deep,
calm water without any significant water exchange.
Finally, a dead insect or other carcass must be rapidly covered with new sediments, so that the body can be preserved as
a fossil when these sediments are later consolidated into rock.
Very often such sedimentation events occur in regular intervals.
The resulting rocks are then fissionable in plates (e.g., lithographic limestone) along the former interfaces between two sedimentations. When the fossils are situated directly on the surface
of these plates, they are immediately visible after the rock has
been split and need only minor preparation. However, when
the fossil insects are concealed within the plates, they can only
be recognized by an inconspicuous bulge and/or discoloration
of the plate surface, and must be prepared with great care and
suitable tools (e.g., pneumatic graver and needles) in order to
remove the covering rock without damaging the fossil.

Types of fossils
Impressions

The particular way the fossil insect is preserved strongly
depends on the types of sediments and the chemical compo7


Evolution and systematics

Vol. 3: Insects

Incrustation

A second mode of preservation involves decay processes in
which the insect body induces a chemical reaction that leads
to the precipitation of minerals around the dead insect. This

process can produce bulbs of rock (geodes or concretions) in
which the fossil insect is preserved three-dimensionally. Fossil insects from Mazon Creek, a famous locality from the Carboniferous era of North America, are preserved this way.
Incrustation with sinter, the chalk generated by hot wells, can
preserve dead insects as three-dimensional impressions that
have fallen into this mineral water. There, hollow molds can
be filled with composition rubber to obtain perfect copies of
the original insect bodies.
Embedding
Fossil of a dragonfly in limestone matrix, from Sohnhofen, Germany,
Jurassic era. The wingspan is approximately 8 in (20.3 cm). (Photo by
Jianming Li. Reproduced by permission.)

sition of the water as well as the circumstances of the transformation of the sediments into rock. Most often the insect
bodies completely decay in the course of time and only an
impression of the animal remains as fossil. This is the case
with fossil insects from Carboniferous coal layers, the Lower
Jurassic oil shales of Middle Europe, and most limestones
throughout the world. Even though these fossils are impressions, some body parts may be accentuated and traced with a
secondary coloration if diluted metal oxides (e.g., iron oxide
or manganese oxide) penetrate the body cavities in dendritic
fashion. Dendrites can be reddish to brown (iron oxide) or
black (manganese oxide). This phenomenon is exemplified in
wing venation of fossil dragonflies from the Solnhofen lithographic limestones from the Upper Jurassic of Germany.
The finer the sediments, the greater the number of details
that may be preserved in the fossil insects, so that even delicate bristles or facets of complex eyes are still visible. Sediments exposed to strong pressure and compaction during the
transformation into rock often result in completely flattened
impressions. However, if layers harden relatively fast, impressions can retain a three-dimensional profile of parts of the
former insect body, for example the corrugation and pleating
of the wings.
Under particular chemical circumstances, the organic matter of the insect body can be impregnated or replaced by mineral substances and therefore preserved in the original shape

with all of its three-dimension properties (e.g., the pleating of
the wing membrane). This occurs in all fossil insects from the
Lower Cretaceous Crato limestones from northeastern Brazil,
where insect bodies were preserved as iron-oxide-hydroxide
(limonite). These fossil insects are tinted reddish brown and
are often very distinct from the bright yellowish limestone.
This special mode of fossilization has even permitted the
preservation of soft parts such as muscles or internal organs.
In some cases, the color pattern of the wings of cockroaches,
bugs, beetles, and lacewings is still visible. This rare phenomenon provides information on the appearance of extinct
animals that is usually not available in fossils.
8

The third and rarest method of fossilization involves the
embedding of insects within crystals, for example dragonfly
larvae in gypsum crystals from the Miocene of Italy. These
crystals developed in a desiccating coastal water body in the
Tertiary age, when the Mediterranean Sea was separated from
the Atlantic Ocean by a barrier at the Strait of Gibraltar.
However, this hypersalinity of the water was not the habitat
of the enclosed dragonfly larvae, because they are close relatives of extant dragonflies that never live in such environments. The enclosed dragonfly larvae are not the animals
themselves, but only dried skins from the final molting of the
larvae into adult dragonflies. Such skins (exuviae) are very robust and are transported during storms to habitats such as that
mentioned above.
Insect inclusions in amber represent the most important
exception from the rule that insects can only be fossilized in
subaquatic environments. These animals are preserved in fossil resins with their natural shape with all details in a quality
that is unmatched by any other kind of fossilization. The oldest known fossil insect inclusions in amber were discovered
in Lebanon and are of Lower Cretaceous age (about 120 million years old [mya]). The insects of the famous Baltic amber
and the Dominican amber from the Caribbean are much

younger (45–15 mya) and have been dated to the early to midTertiary. Insects enclosed in the latter two fossil resins are
already much more modern than those of the Lower Cretaceous amber, which were contemporaries of dinosaurs and
pterosaurs. The novel and subsequent movie Jurassic Park, in
which scientists revive dinosaurs by using the DNA of dinosaur blood imbibed by mosquitoes fossilized in amber is
highly unlikely, since no suitable DNA has ever been discovered in insects fossilized in amber.
Even preservation of more imperishable exoskeleton (chitin)
comprises relatively recent insect fossils, and then only under
very favorable circumstances. More frequently, chitin is preserved in subfossil insects from relatively recent layers, for example from the Pleistocene asphalt lakes of Rancho La Brea
near Los Angeles, which are only 8,000–40,000 years old. The
oldest known fossil insects with preservation of chitin are of
Tertiary age. However, the preservation of metallic colors in
some small damselflies from the Lower Cretaceous Crato
limestones of Brazil could indicate that the original exoskeleton was preserved in these cases, but confirmation of this
would require chemical analysis.
Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia