Forewing

Fully functional wings are present only in the Adult stage, after the last Moult . The one exception is the order Ephemeroptera , in which the penultimate Instar (also called Subimago ) possesses well-developed and functional wings. Wings are only present in the Subclass Pterygota , with members of the Apterygota being wingless. Wings may also be lost in some pterygote Orders , such as the Flea s and Lice .

At rest, the wings may be folded a number of times along specific patterns.

STRUCTURE

Veins

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The veins are hollow structures formed from the coupling of the upper and lower walls of the wing. The bigger ones may contain Nerves , Tracheae and Hemolymph . The smaller ones can be mainly Chitinous rigidifying structures. The pattern is extremely variable and can be very useful for identification.

The veins provide provide both rigidity and flexiblility enabling the use of the insect wings for flight.

Cells

The cells are spaces formed by the crisscrossing of the veins. They can be "open" (extending to the margin of the wing) or "closed" (delimited only by veins).

Naming system

The veins and cells are named after the Comstock-Needham System (1898).

FLIGHT

Insect flight is extremely fast, manouvreable and versatile. This flight is possible due to the changing shape, extraordinary control and variable motion of the insect wing. Insect orders use different flight mechansims, for example, the flight of a butterfly can be explained using steady-state, non-transitory Aerodynamics and thin Airfoil theory. For a more detailed description, see Insect Flight .

ADAPTATIONS

Several orders of insects have specially- Adapted wings.

For orientation

In the Diptera ( True Flies ), the posterior pair of wings are reduced to Haltere s, which help the fly to sense its orientation and movement, as well as to improve balance.

In the Strepsiptera , it is the anterior wings of the males that are reduced to form Haltere s. The females are wingless.

For protection

In Coleoptera ( Beetle s), the front pair of wings are sclerotised (hardened) to form Elytra and they protect the delicate hind wings which are folded beneath.

In Hemiptera (true bugs), the front wings may be hardened, though to a lesser extent than in the beetles. For example, the anterior part of the front wings of Stink Bug s is hardened, while the posterior part is membranous. They are called ''hemelytron'' (pl. ''hemelytra''). They are only found in the suborder Heteroptera ; the wings of the Homoptera , such as the Cicada , are entirely membranous.

Other orders such as the Dermaptera ( Earwigs ), Orthoptera ( Grasshopper s, Crickets ), Mantodea ( Praying Mantis ) and Blattodea ( Cockroach es) have rigid leathery front wings that aren't used for flying, sometimes called '' Tegmen '' (pl. ''tegmina''), '' Elytra '', or ''pseudoelytron''.

Other adaptations

Some orders may use their wings for communication. For example, the elaborate colours on Butterfly wings are sometimes a warning for predators ( Aposematism ), as is the case in toxic species such as the Monarch Butterfly .

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Forewing