Neoptera
Encyclopedia
Neoptera is a classification group that includes almost all the winged insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...

s, specifically those that can flex their wings over their abdomen
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...

s. This is in contrast with the more basal order
Order (biology)
In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

s of winged insects (the "Paleoptera
Paleoptera
The name Palaeoptera has been traditionally applied to those primitive groups of winged insects that lacked the ability to fold the wings back over the abdomen as characterizes the Neoptera...

" assemblage), which are unable to flex their wings in this way.

ITIS
Integrated Taxonomic Information System
The Integrated Taxonomic Information System is a partnership designed to provide consistent and reliable information on the taxonomy of biological species. ITIS was originally formed in 1996 as an interagency group within the U.S...

 lumps all neopteran orders together in this infraclass without subdivision; other authorities recognise several superorders within it. Almost universally accepted are the Exopterygota
Exopterygota
The Exopterygota, also known as Hemipterodea, are a superorder of insects of the subclass Pterygota in the infraclass Neoptera, in which the young resemble adults but have externally-developing wings. They undergo a modest change between immature and adult, without going through a pupal stage...

 - hemimetabolous neopterans, in which the wings are already visible before the adult stage and no pupa
Pupa
A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in holometabolous insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago...

 or chrysalis stage occurs -, and the Endopterygota
Endopterygota
The Endopterygota, also known as Holometabola, are insects of the subclass Pterygota which go through distinctive larval, pupal, and adult stages. They undergo a radical metamorphosis, with the larval and adult stages differing considerably in their structure and behaviour...

, the holometabolous insects in which the wings develop inside the body during the larva
Larva
A larva is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle...

l stage and only become external appendages during the pupa or chrysalis stage.

As of recently, there are several attempts to resolve the neopteran diversity further. While this appears to be less controversial than in the (apparently paraphyletic) "Palaeoptera", there are nonetheless lots of unresolved questions. For example, the hymenoptera
Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. There are over 130,000 recognized species, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the heavy wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek ὑμήν : membrane and...

ns, traditionally considered highly advanced due to their intricate social systems, seem to be far more basal among the Endopterygota
Endopterygota
The Endopterygota, also known as Holometabola, are insects of the subclass Pterygota which go through distinctive larval, pupal, and adult stages. They undergo a radical metamorphosis, with the larval and adult stages differing considerably in their structure and behaviour...

, as suggested by their relatively plesiomorphic anatomy
Anatomy
Anatomy is a branch of biology and medicine that is the consideration of the structure of living things. It is a general term that includes human anatomy, animal anatomy , and plant anatomy...

 and molecular data. The exact position of the proposed Dictyoptera
Dictyoptera
Dictyoptera includes three groups of polyneopterous insects - cockroaches , termites and mantids...

 is also uncertain, namely whether they are better considered Exopterygota
Exopterygota
The Exopterygota, also known as Hemipterodea, are a superorder of insects of the subclass Pterygota in the infraclass Neoptera, in which the young resemble adults but have externally-developing wings. They undergo a modest change between immature and adult, without going through a pupal stage...

 or basal neopterans.

Detailed classification

Here is a list of living and fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...

 neopteran orders. Supraordinal taxonomy is currently in a state of constant flux (and likely will be for some time to come).

Superorder Exopterygota
Exopterygota
The Exopterygota, also known as Hemipterodea, are a superorder of insects of the subclass Pterygota in the infraclass Neoptera, in which the young resemble adults but have externally-developing wings. They undergo a modest change between immature and adult, without going through a pupal stage...

  • Caloneurodea (fossil)
  • Titanoptera
    Titanoptera
    The Titanoptera are an extinct order of insects from the Triassic period. They were very large by comparison with modern insects, some having wingspans of up to ....

     (fossil)
  • Protorthoptera
    Protorthoptera
    The Protorthoptera are an extinct order of Palaeozoic insects, and represent a wastebasket taxon and paraphyletic assemblage of basal neoptera. They appear during the Middle Carboniferous , making them among the earliest known winged insects in the fossil record. Pronotal lobes may be expanded to...

     (fossil)
  • Plecoptera
    Plecoptera
    Plecoptera are an order of insects, commonly known as stoneflies. There are some 3,500 described species worldwide, with new species still being discovered. Stoneflies are found worldwide, except Antarctica...

     (stoneflies)
  • Embioptera
    Embioptera
    The order Embioptera, commonly known as webspinners, are a small group of mostly tropical and subtropical insects, classified under the subclass Pterygota. The order has also been referred to as Embiodea or Embiidina...

     (webspinners)
  • Zoraptera
    Zoraptera
    The insect order Zoraptera contains a single family, the Zorotypidae, which in turn contains one extant genus with 34 species, Zorotypus as well as 9 extinct species.-Phylogeny:...

     (angel insects)
  • Dermaptera (earwigs)
  • Orthoptera
    Orthoptera
    Orthoptera is an order of insects with paurometabolous or incomplete metamorphosis, including the grasshoppers, crickets and locusts.Many insects in this order produce sound by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps...

     (grasshopper
    Grasshopper
    The grasshopper is an insect of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish it from bush crickets or katydids, it is sometimes referred to as the short-horned grasshopper...

    s, etc.)

Proposed superorder Dictyoptera
Dictyoptera
Dictyoptera includes three groups of polyneopterous insects - cockroaches , termites and mantids...

  • Phasmatodea
    Phasmatodea
    The Phasmatodea are an order of insects, whose members are variously known as stick insects , walking sticks or stick-bugs , phasmids, ghost insects and leaf insects...

     (stick insects - tentatively placed here)
  • Notoptera
    Notoptera
    The insect order Notoptera, a group first proposed in 1915, has been largely unused since its original conception, but in the most recent classification of the lineage of insects that includes the Grylloblattodea and Mantophasmatodea, the name was resurrected and redefined so as to give a single...

     (ice-crawlers & gladiators - tentatively placed here)
  • Blattaria (cockroaches)
  • Isoptera (termites)
  • Mantodea (mantids)

Proposed superorder Paraneoptera
Paraneoptera
Paraneoptera is a monophyletic superorder of insects which includes four orders, the bark lice, true lice, thrips, and hemipterans, the true bugs. The mouthparts of the Paraneoptera reflect diverse feeding habits...

  • Psocoptera
    Psocoptera
    Psocoptera are an order of insects that are commonly known as booklice, barklice or barkflies. They first appeared in the Permian period, 295–248 million years ago. They are often regarded as the most primitive of the hemipteroids. Their name originates from the Greek word psokos meaning...

     (booklice, barklice)
  • Thysanoptera (thrips)
  • Phthiraptera (lice)
  • Hemiptera
    Hemiptera
    Hemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs , comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others...

     (true bug
    Hemiptera
    Hemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs , comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others...

    s)

Superorder Endopterygota
Endopterygota
The Endopterygota, also known as Holometabola, are insects of the subclass Pterygota which go through distinctive larval, pupal, and adult stages. They undergo a radical metamorphosis, with the larval and adult stages differing considerably in their structure and behaviour...

 sensu stricto
  • Hymenoptera
    Hymenoptera
    Hymenoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees and ants. There are over 130,000 recognized species, with many more remaining to be described. The name refers to the heavy wings of the insects, and is derived from the Ancient Greek ὑμήν : membrane and...

     (ant
    Ant
    Ants are social insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from wasp-like ancestors in the mid-Cretaceous period between 110 and 130 million years ago and diversified after the rise of flowering plants. More than...

    s, bee
    Bee
    Bees are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, and are known for their role in pollination and for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila...

    s, etc.)
  • Coleoptera (beetles)
  • Strepsiptera
    Strepsiptera
    The Strepsiptera are an order of insects with ten families making up about 600 species...

     (twisted-winged parasites)

Proposed superorder Neuropterida
Neuropterida
The Neuropterida are a clade of holometabolous insects. Well-known members are the lacewings, antlions and dobsonflies.Historically, they were known as Neuroptera, but this name nowadays refers to lacewings and their relatives only, which formerly were known as Planipennia...

/Neuropteroidea
  • Raphidioptera (snakeflies)
  • Megaloptera
    Megaloptera
    Megaloptera is an order of insects. It contains the alderflies, dobsonflies and fishflies, and there are about 300 known species.The Megaloptera were formerly considered part of a group then called Neuroptera, together with lacewings and snakeflies, but these are now generally considered to be...

     (alderflies, etc.)
  • Neuroptera
    Neuroptera
    The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order contains some 6,010 species...

     (net-veined insects)

Proposed superorder Mecopteroidea/Antliophora
  • Mecoptera
    Mecoptera
    Mecoptera are an order of insects with about 550 species in nine families worldwide. Mecoptera are sometimes called scorpionflies after their largest family, Panorpidae, in which the males have enlarged genitals that look similar to the stinger of a scorpion...

     (scorpionflies, etc.)
  • Siphonaptera (flea
    Flea
    Flea is the common name for insects of the order Siphonaptera which are wingless insects with mouthparts adapted for piercing skin and sucking blood...

    s)
  • Diptera
    Diptera
    Diptera , or true flies, is the order of insects possessing only a single pair of wings on the mesothorax; the metathorax bears a pair of drumstick like structures called the halteres, the remnants of the hind wings. It is a large order, containing an estimated 240,000 species, although under half...

     (true flies
    Fly
    True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...

    )
  • Protodiptera
    Protodiptera
    Protodiptera is an extinct order of insects containing the two genera Permotipula and Permila....

     (fossil)

Proposed superorder Amphiesmenoptera
Amphiesmenoptera
Amphiesmenoptera is an insect superorder, established by Willi Hennig in his revision of insect taxonomy for two sister orders: Lepidoptera and Trichoptera ....

  • Trichoptera
    Trichoptera
    The caddisflies are an order, Trichoptera, of insects with approximately 12,000 described species. Also called sedge-flies or rail-flies, they are small moth-like insects having two pairs of hairy membranous wings...

     (caddisflies)
  • Lepidoptera
    Lepidoptera
    Lepidoptera is a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies . It is one of the most widespread and widely recognizable insect orders in the world, encompassing moths and the three superfamilies of butterflies, skipper butterflies, and moth-butterflies...

     (butterflies
    Butterfly
    A butterfly is a mainly day-flying insect of the order Lepidoptera, which includes the butterflies and moths. Like other holometabolous insects, the butterfly's life cycle consists of four parts: egg, larva, pupa and adult. Most species are diurnal. Butterflies have large, often brightly coloured...

    , moth
    Moth
    A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...

    s)

Incertae sedis
Incertae sedis
, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...

  • Glosselytrodea
    Glosselytrodea
    Glosselytrodea is an extinct order of insects....

     (fossil)
  • Miomoptera
    Miomoptera
    Miomoptera is an extinct order of insects. Although it is thought to be a common ancestor of all holometabolous insects, because no smooth transition between Miomoptera and other holometabolous insect orders is known it is considered to be in a separate order unto itself.The Miomopterans were small...

    (fossil)
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