The presence and structure of the wings may be your best clue to identifying an insect. In fact, many insect orders are named for a specific wing characteristic. The order Lepidoptera, for example, means “scaly wings.” If you plan to use a dichotomous key to identify the insect, you will need information about the wings to complete the key.
Here are some key details to observe when looking at an insect’s wings:
- Does the insect have wings, and if so, are they well developed?
- Do you see one or two pairs of wings?
- Do the forewings and hindwings look similar or different?
- Are the wings leathery, hairy, membranous, or covered in scales?
- Can you see veins in the wings?
- Do the wings appear to be larger than the insect’s body, or about the same size as the thorax?
- How does the insect hold the wings when resting – folded flat against the body, or vertically above the body?
Photo credits: (top left) Scott Bauer, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Bugwood.org; (top right) Flickr user Paolo Mañalac - CC SA; (bottom right) Hector Mialma, Bugwood.org; (bottom left) Clemson University - USDA Cooperative Extension Slide Series, Bugwood.org
