Dichotomous Key/Hexapoda

Hexapoda

Hexapoda
Kingdom	Animalia
Phylum	Arthropoda
Subphylum	Hexapoda
Information related to Hexapoda Wikipedia • Wikispecies • Wikicommons

1

• Wings
  • Present - 12
  • Not present - 2

2

• Lifestyle
  • Parasitic - 3
  • Not parasitic - 4

3

• Legs
  • Hind legs adapted for jumping - Siphonaptera
  • No legs adapted for jumping - Phthiraptera

4

• Cerci
  • Present - 5
  • Not present - 6

5

• Orientation of cerci
  • Pointing towards tailing end of body - Archeognatha
  • Outer two cerci point away from body - Thysanura

6

• Mouthparts
  • Mouthparts external and easily visible - 9
  • Mouthparts not easily visible - 7

7

• Presence of eyes
  • Simple eyes present - Collembola
  • No eyes present - 8

8

• Antennae
  • Not present - Protura
  • Present - Diplura

9

• Mouthparts
  • Adapted for sucking - Hemiptera
  • Adapted for chewing - 10

10

• Pincer-like cerci on abdomen
  • Present - Dermaptera
  • Not present - 11

11

• Forelegs
  • Forelegs raptatorial - Mantodea
  • Forelegs not raptatorial - 13

12

• Number of wings
  • One pair - 17
  • Two pairs - 18

13

• Narrow waist
  • Present - Hymenoptera
  • Not present - 14

14

• Body shape
  • long and thin - Phasmatodea
  • Round and stout - 15

15

• Body width
  • Flattened - Blattodea
  • Not flattened - 16

16

• Social structure
  • Solitary - Psocoptera
  • Social - Isoptera

17

• Wings
  • Forewings reduced to knobs - Strepsiptera
  • Hindwings reduced to knobs - Diptera

18

• Forewings
  • Membranous - 19
  • Not membranous - 31

19

• Wing texture and color
  • Covered in scales or hairs - 37
  • Transparent - 20

20

• Tail-like appendages
  • Present - 21
  • Not present - 23

21

• Comparative wing size
  • Roughly equal - 22
  • Forewings much larger than hindwings - Ephemeroptera

22

• Comparative cerci size
  • Both abdominal cerci approximately equal in size - Plecoptera
  • Abdominal cerci unequal in size - Embioptera

23

• Wing venation
  • Extensive - 28
  • Minor - 24

24

• Narrow waist
  • Present - Hymenoptera
  • Not present - 25

25

• Wing texture
  • Fringed with hairs - Thysanoptera
  • Not fringed with hairs - 26

26

• Mouthparts
  • Chewing - 27
  • Sucking - Hemiptera

27

• Position of wings at rest
  • Held flat against body - Isoptera
  • Held over body - Psocoptera

28

• Position of wings at rest
  • Held away from body - Odonata
  • Held against body - 29

29

• Beak-like head
  • Present - Mecoptera
  • Not present - 30

30

• Main wing veins
  • Forked near end - Neuroptera
  • Not forked near end - Megaloptera

31

• Mouthparts
  • Sucking - Hemiptera
  • Chewing - 32

32

• Forewings hardened
  • Forewings hard - 33
  • Forewings not hardened (may be leathery) - 34

33

• Abdominal pincers
  • Present - Dermaptera
  • Not present - Coleoptera

34

• Hind legs
  • Adapted for jumping - Orthoptera
  • Not adapted for jumping - #35

35

• Forelegs
  • Raptatorial - Mantodea
  • Not raptatorial - #36

36

• Body shape
  • Broadly flattened - Blattodea
  • Long and skinny - Phasmatodea

37

• Wing covering
  • Scales - Lepidoptera
  • Hairs - Trichoptera