Termites are found in warmer regions of the world, especially in the tropics and subtropics, or regions that border on the tropics. Most termites prefer to live in warm, humid climates, especially at low altitudes along river valleys and in coastal areas. Other species are found in mountain forests, deserts, and grasslands. …
Mantids are found worldwide in warm and tropical climates. There are twenty-three hundred species worldwide, mostly in the tropical rainforests of South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Many species are restricted to small areas, but others are found on more than one continent, having been accidentally introduced by humans to continents outside their range. Twenty species live in the Unit…
All twenty-seven species of rock-crawlers live in the Northern Hemisphere; they are found in Siberia, northeastern China, Korea, and Japan. Eleven species are known to live in the United States and Canada. Rock-crawlers are secretive animals that live at elevations between 656 and 10,499 feet (between 200 and 3,200 meters) in mixed forests or in mountains above the highest point where trees c…
There are approximately 1,800 species of earwigs found throughout the world, except in the Arctic and Antarctic. They are especially common in the tropics and subtropics. Twenty-two species live in the United States and Canada. Most earwigs live in moist crevices (KREH-vuh-ses) of all kinds, including under bark, between leaves, and under stones. Some species live on the furry bodies of giant…
Grasshoppers, crickets, and katydids are found on all continents and islands, except Antarctica. There are about 21,400 species of orthopterans worldwide, with about 3,000 species in the United States and Canada. …
All thirteen living species are found in Africa in Namibia, South Africa, and Tanzania. Two fossil species preserved in amber were found in Russia. They are found in dry, scrubby habitats that receive little rain. Heel-walkers live down inside tufts of grass or grasslike plants, where they blend in perfectly thanks to their spotted and striped bodies. They eat various kinds of insects, includ…
Phasmids live on all continents, except Antarctica. They are also found on many islands. There are approximately three thousand species of phasmids worldwide, with about forty-four species in Canada and the United States. Phasmids are found in a wide variety of habitats in warmer and tropical climates, including gardens, woodlands, pine and fir forests, chaparral, desert scrub, and grasslands…
There are about three hundred species of webspinners known worldwide, but it has been estimated that there may be as many as two thousand. There are thirteen species found across the southern United States. Webspinners are found on all continents, except Antarctica. Most species live in tropical or subtropical climates. There are usually very few or no species living on remote islands. Some s…
There are thirty-three species of angel insects worldwide. Angel insects are found on all continents, except Australia and Antarctica. Most species live in the New World tropics, but other species are known from North America, Southeast Asia, Africa, or the Pacific islands. Three species are found in the United States, including Hawaii. Angel insects are found in warm, moist habitats, usually…
Psocids are found on all continents, including Antarctica. There are 4,408 species of psocids worldwide, mostly in the tropics. About 260 species occur in the United States and Canada. Psocids live in a wide variety of habitats on land. In spite of the common names that include the word "louse," these insects do not live on other animals. They are most common on dead or living l…
Chewing and sucking lice are found on all continents, including Antarctica. The distribution of lice is roughly similar to that of the birds and mammals on which they live. However, their distribution within the host population is not uniform. They are usually quite patchy or concentrated in some areas. There are 4,927 species of lice worldwide, with about 780 species in the United States and…
The hemiptera are found on all continents except Antarctica. They are even found on remote islands in the middle of the ocean. And they are the only insects that live on the surface of the ocean. There are about 82,000 species of hemiptera worldwide, with about 12,000 species in the United States and Canada. …
Thrips are found on every continent except Antarctica. There are about 5,500 species known worldwide, with approximately seven hundred species in the United States and Canada. No thrips are endangered or threatened. Their survival depends on the conservation of their food plants and habitats. Developed and agricultural habitats have few or no native species of thrips. …
Megalopterans live in North, Central, and South America, South Africa, Madagascar, and parts of Asia and Australia. Most species are found outside of the tropics. There are about 300 species of megalopterans worldwide, 43 of which are found in the United States and Canada. Aquatic larvae live in standing or flowing waters, including streams, spring seeps, rivers, lakes, ponds, and swamps. Som…
Snakeflies prefer habitats where there is a winter period and lots of woody shrubs. They are found from sea level up to more than 9,840 feet (3,000 meters). Adults are found resting on vegetation. The larvae live under the bark of trees or shrubs or in the top layer of soil. The larvae of a few species are found in rock crevices. Both larval and adult snakeflies eat soft-bodied insects and sp…
Neuropterans live on all continents except Antarctica. There are about six thousand species of neuropterans worldwide, with four hundred found in the United States and Canada. The larvae of both green and brown lacewings are known as aphidlions, and they prey on pests in a variety of garden, greenhouse, and agricultural situations. They are sold to gardeners and farmers as eggs. The adults ar…
Beetles are found on every continent except Antarctica. They are also found on most islands. Most species prefer certain kinds of soils, climates, and foods and live only in a particular geographical region. A few beetle species have been distributed well beyond their natural distribution through human activity, either accidentally or on purpose. About twenty-five thousand species are known i…
Twisted-wing parasites are found on all continents except Antarctica. There are about 550 species worldwide, of which 109 live in the United States and Canada. The parasitic larvae and adult females absorb nutrients directly from the blood of their insect hosts. Free-living adult males and females do not feed. No twisted-wing parasites are listed as endangered or threatened. …
Mecopterans are found on all continents except Antarctica. Some species even live in the northern polar regions of North America and Eurasia. Most species are found in Southeast Asia and Indonesia. There are about 550 species of mecopterans worldwide, with 81 species in the United States and Canada. Mecopterans live mostly in cool, moist habitats, especially in shady forests near springs, str…
Fleas are found on all continents, including Antarctica. There are 2,575 species of fleas worldwide, 258 of which occur in North America. There are no fleas that are considered endangered or threatened. However, flea species that feed only on one host species are vulnerable to extinction if their hosts were to become threatened by extinction. In these cases the fleas would share the fate of t…
Flies, midges, and mosquitoes are found on all continents including Antarctica. There are about 124,000 species of flies worldwide, with about 5,127 species in the United States and Canada. …
Sea spiders inhabit oceans worldwide, from warm tropical waters to very cold polar seas. The tropics are warm areas of the world, where the temperature is typically more than 68°F (20°C). Polar regions are the cold areas of the world near the North Pole (Arctic) and South Pole (Antarctic), where temperatures never rise above 50°F (10°C). Sea spiders are rarely seen…
Caddisflies are found on all continents except Antarctica. Most species have relatively small ranges, and many are found only in one or a few countries. There are more than 11,000 species worldwide, with about 1,400 species known in the United States and Canada. …
Horseshoe crabs inhabit coastal regions of eastern North America and the Indo-Pacific. Of the four species of horseshoe crabs in the world, just one is found along the eastern and Gulf coasts of the United States. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists just one species of horseshoe crab as Near Threatened, meaning that they are at risk of being threatened with extinction in the future. All…
Lepidopterans are found on all continents except Antarctica. Most species are found in the tropics. There are about 160,000 species of butterflies and moths worldwide, the vast majority of which are moths. Of the 12,000 species of Lepidoptera known in the United States and Canada, only 760 are butterflies. …
Arachnids are found throughout the world. About eight thousand of the ninety-seven thousand species of arachnids are found in the United States and Canada. Arachnids live on land, in nearly every sort of habitat. Some live in freshwater. The World Conservation Union (IUCN) lists one arachnid species as Endangered, meaning that it faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near fu…
Proturans are found around the world, except in the Arctic and Antarctic. Protura usually prefer to live in moist habitats with lots of rotting plant materials. They are found in meadows or in leaf litter, rotten logs, soil, and moss in wooded areas. Some species live in parks and agricultural fields. Most proturans live near the soil surface, although some are found underground as deep as 10…
Hymenopterans are found on every continent except Antarctica. There are about 115,000 species of hymenopterans worldwide, with about eighteen thousand in the United States and Canada. Hymenoptera occur in a wide variety of habitats where they are found in the soil and leaf litter or on grasses, shrubs, and trees. Most species are active on warm, sunny days, but some species are active at nigh…
Springtails are found worldwide, from the tropics to the edges of the polar ice caps. No springtails are endangered or threatened. …
Centipedes are found on all continents except Antarctica. A few species have become widespread, accidentally carried to other parts of the world with plants or soil. Centipedes are found in all kinds of habitats, from sea level to high mountain peaks. A few species prefer to live in caves. Some individual species are found in a wide variety of situations under bark, in leaf litter, or under r…
Diplurans are widely distributed throughout the world. Diplurans live in the soil and are found in moist habitats under rocks, logs, leaf litter, and tree bark. Some species live in caves. Diplurans eat both plant material and animal tissues. They feed on living and dead small, soft-bodied mites, worms, symphylans (sihm-FIE-luhns) other diplurans, and insects. They also eat funguses, living p…
Bristetails are found on all continents except Antarctica. Bristletails are found on the soil, in leaf litter, under rocks, and on stumps and logs from sea level to 15,750 feet (4,800 meters) in the Himalayas. Species living in tropical rainforests often spend some or all of their time high up on the trunks and limbs of trees. Bristletails eat dead leaves; algae (AL-jee); funguses; and lichen…
Most millipedes eat decaying leaves and other vegetation, but some will eat shoots and roots of living plants. A few species are known to feed on animal remains or funguses. Many species will also eat their own waste pellets. It is believed that they obtain nutrition from funguses growing inside the pellets rather than from the waste itself. No millipedes are considered endangered or threaten…
Thysanurans are found worldwide. Thysanurans are found in moist habitats, but a few are found in sandy deserts. They live under bark, rocks, rotting logs, and leaf litter. Some species prefer to live in caves, among ants or termites, or with people. Thysanurans eat decaying or dried plants and animal remains. Species living with people feed on starchy materials, such as paper, cardboard, book…
Symphylans are found on all continents except Antarctica. There are about two hundred species worldwide. The species in the United States and Canada are so poorly studied that it is not known just how many species there are. Symphylans live in the upper 3.2 foot (1 meter) layers of soil in both natural and agricultural habitats. They prefer moist but not wet soils. Symphylans eat mainly roots…
They are found on all continents except Antarctica. There are about seven hundred species known worldwide. The pauropods of the United States and Canada are so poorly known that it is not possible to give even an approximate number of species found in these countries. Pauropods live in a variety of habitats and are most common in the upper 7.8 inches (200 millimeters) of soil. They are often …
Mayflies are found on all continents except Antarctica and a few small islands in the middle of the ocean. They are most abundant in mild or tropical climates. The World Conservation Union (ICUN) lists two species of mayflies as Extinct, meaning that no members of the species are still alive, and one as Vulnerable, meaning that it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild. The main reasons …
Dragonflies are found worldwide, except in frozen polar areas. They are especially abundant in the tropics. The larvae are found in most standing and running freshwater habitats, where they live on the bottom, under stones, clinging to vegetation, or buried in mud or detritus (dih-TRY-tuhs), loose, tiny bits of plant and animal remains. A few species live in small air pockets inside the stems…
Stoneflies live on all continents, except Antarctica. They are also found on most larger islands except Cuba, Fiji, Hawaii, and New Caledonia. There are approximately two thousand species of stoneflies worldwide, with about six hundred in the United States and Canada. The adults of some species feed on algae (AL-jee), lichen (LIE-kuhn), pollen, or nectar, but the food preferences of most spec…
Cockroaches are found around the world, with most species living in the tropics. Species are found wherever humans live and work. No species of cockroaches are officially endangered. The greatest threat to wild cockroaches is the destruction of their habitats, especially tropical species that have a very limited geographic range or live in small, specialized habitats. At least one species, th…
