Cicada
All About Neopterans
Foldable wings – the secret of neopterans! Discover everything about the diverse order within insects!
What Are Neopterans?
Neopterans are a group of insects with numerous and varied families. Over 90% of all insects are neopterans. The majority of species are found among beetles. Butterflies, wasps, flies, bugs, lice, dragonflies, and fleas also exhibit a rich diversity.
Main Characteristics of Neopterans
1. All Flying Insects - Except for Dragonflies and Mayflies
Neopterans include all flying insects, with the exception of dragonflies and mayflies. They lack a crucial feature: they cannot fold their wings against their bodies.
2. Foldable Wings – Some Species Even Have Wing Covers
A distinctive feature of neopterans is their ability to fold their wings over their abdomen. This offers a significant advantage: the wings are better protected. After all, they are hardly survivable without their wings. Beetles even possess hard protective covers that shield their flying wings.
3. Species With Reduced Wings
There are a few neopterans with reduced wings that cannot fly, such as fleas, lice, ground beetles, and stick insects.
Neopteran Family Tree
Amazing Facts About Neopterans
- The neopteran order includes all insects that possess wings.
- Neopterans are all flies, bees, wasps, ants, lice, bugs, grasshoppers, praying mantises, stick insects, cockroaches, termites, beetles, cicadas, butterflies, and fleas.
- An exception are mayflies and dragonflies. Although they can also fly, they belong to a different order.
- The largest orders within neopterans are beetles (400,000 species), wasps (200,000 species), butterflies (150,000 species), flies (85,000 species), bugs (40,000 species), lice (15,000 species), dragonflies (4,900 species), and fleas (2,000 species).
- The largest neopterans are tropical stick insects. They can reach a body length of over 12 inches (30 cm).
- The smallest neopertan is a tiny beetle called Scydosella musawasensis, which measures only 0.01 inch (0.3 mm) in length.
