A PHYSIOLOGICAL ARRANGEMENT OF INSECTS

Extract

Having in times gone by perused with interest certain essays from the pen of the late Edward Newman on the subject of a true or physiological arrangement of Insecta, may I now be allowed to call attention to the additional evidence adducible from the recent investigations of their organs of sensation, a matter I had latery the honor of placing before public attention in my book, Insect Variety.

Viewed in this new light, the presence of auditory organs and welldeveloped eyes place the Orthoptera first in this list; and these would be followed by a group of the Homoptera, the Cicadidœ, where we find the auditory organs are highly developed, but sight less potent. Next to these appear to come Lepidoptera, where the Nocturni stand first as having well-defined auditory organs, and the Diurni second from reason of their excellent optic organs. Then would follow Coleoptera, which as far as Europe is concerned, certainly give evidence of possessing auditory apparatuses in two of their groups, the Lamellicornia and, Longicornia, although in the latter the visual organs are imperfect. As far as I can learn, the species of Hymenoptera, Neuroptera and Diptera, have the auditory sense, if present, much less potent; but sight, smell and touch are evident and variously developed. This perfectly harmonizes with Newman's circular view, given in the Entomologist, vol. iv., p. 236.