FREE! Click here to Join FunTrivia. Thousands of games, quizzes, and lots more!
Quiz about Identify That Bug
Quiz about Identify That Bug

Identify That Bug! Trivia Quiz


This quiz is all about classification (Orders and Families). Join me as I explore the amazing world of insects around me. **Based on a true story** (This quiz is designed for novice insect enthusiasts)

A multiple-choice quiz by theskink. Estimated time: 5 mins.
  1. Home
  2. »
  3. Quizzes
  4. »
  5. Animal Trivia
  6. »
  7. Invertebrates
  8. »
  9. Insects

Author
theskink
Time
5 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
328,032
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Average
Avg Score
7 / 10
Plays
558
Last 3 plays: Guest 68 (8/10), Jaydel (7/10), Guest 171 (3/10).
- -
Question 1 of 10
1. The bathroom in my dorm last year has always been a great place to find insects. It didn't have a screen in it for the longest time so insects flew in all the time. This one time I found a giant insect. It was all green and could fly. Its forelegs looked like they were designed for grabbing things. It also had a triangle-shaped head. To which order do you think it belonged? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. I live in an old apartment now. One of the major insect pests we have here are these medium-sized black insects that buzz around all over the place. On a closer look all of these guys have only two wings. To which order do you think they belong? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. Occasionally my girlfriend, Kara, and I go out to the stream by my college campus. One insect that is there all the time in the summer are these medium-sized iridescent insects. They quite often hover over the water. They have huge eyes and long, thin bodies. In what order do you think they are? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. Another really neat insect is this one. They are also one of the most hated. I often find them roaming around on the ground at night. The ones I found in my dorm were several centimeters long, which is quite large for insects. They have really long antennae and can run really fast. I once found one crawling up a wall, which completely freaked out some of the girls passing by. Which order contains these rather uncharismatic insects? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. As Kara and I were walking by a street light one night we noticed a large conglomeration of insects. These were unusual insects that we do not come across everyday. It looked like they had all hatched on the same day and when we came back in a couple days they had all disappeared. We also noticed that this was near a pond. From which order do think these guys are? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Another common pest in my apartment are these little creatures. They tend to be blackish or reddish and if any food gets spilled or left out, they are always there. They are also an extremely social insect and are often found carrying food back out of the apartment with them. What family do you these guys are? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. My mom's friend owns a farm of these insects. They are yellowish and are very social too. They are also a bit fuzzy. He uses them to make honey. In which family are these? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. One of the coolest insects are these little flying creatures. When you walk around at night in the summertime, you can quite often find them flashing. They are actually bioluminescent and flash their abdomens to communicate with each other. From which family are these insects? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. For any botanists, this family of insects is very familiar. These guys are found almost always in huge numbers, eating plants. They are so common that other insects like ants have co-evolved with them. They secrete a substance called honeydew which the ants eat and in return the ants guard these insects from harm. For me to identify them, I always look for two cornicles on the end of their abdomens. Which family of insects is this? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. I couldn't write this quiz without including a spot for my longtime insect partner. His name is Alex and he loves beetles. Particularly he loves this family of beetles. These are almost certainly the most charismatic of beetles. The family includes such species as Goliath beetles, dung beetles, June beetles, elephant beetles, and many more. This family includes the largest (by mass) species of any insect alive today. They can be easily identified by their unique antennae. Which family of beetles is Alex's favorite? Hint



(Optional) Create a Free FunTrivia ID to save the points you are about to earn:

arrow Select a User ID:
arrow Choose a Password:
arrow Your Email:




Most Recent Scores
Feb 25 2024 : Guest 68: 8/10
Feb 06 2024 : Jaydel: 7/10
Feb 02 2024 : Guest 171: 3/10

Score Distribution

quiz
Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The bathroom in my dorm last year has always been a great place to find insects. It didn't have a screen in it for the longest time so insects flew in all the time. This one time I found a giant insect. It was all green and could fly. Its forelegs looked like they were designed for grabbing things. It also had a triangle-shaped head. To which order do you think it belonged?

Answer: Mantodea

Mantodea, commonly called praying mantids, are not especially common, but can be found all over the world nonetheless. They are always large, compared with other insects. The easiest way to tell them is their forelegs which look like they are "praying." The scientific word for this type of leg is called raptorial.

They also have a distinct head that has the ability to turn backwards, like an owl.
2. I live in an old apartment now. One of the major insect pests we have here are these medium-sized black insects that buzz around all over the place. On a closer look all of these guys have only two wings. To which order do you think they belong?

Answer: Diptera

Diptera is the order for flies. Literally meaning "two-winged," this order can be most easily determined by the presence of two wings instead of four like nearly all others. All flies' hind wings are reduced to what are called halteres. These are small and help balance in flight.

This is why flies are so good at evading people. The specific flies I was talking about are common house flies. Keep in mind, though, that many "flies" aren't really flies. Usually you can tell it is a fly by the separation of fly from the other word.

Hence, a house fly is a fly whereas a scorpionfly (order Mecoptera) is not a fly.
3. Occasionally my girlfriend, Kara, and I go out to the stream by my college campus. One insect that is there all the time in the summer are these medium-sized iridescent insects. They quite often hover over the water. They have huge eyes and long, thin bodies. In what order do you think they are?

Answer: Odonata

Odanata is the order of dragonflies and damselflies. These in particular were damselflies. There aren't very many insects that are iridescent (some Coleopterans are) but many damselfly species are. They also have eyes which cover nearly their entire head.

Despite being one of the more ancestral groups of insects, these are exceptional fliers. They are all predatory. They always live by water since their nymphs live in water and they also feed on newly hatched flies which also come out of the water.
4. Another really neat insect is this one. They are also one of the most hated. I often find them roaming around on the ground at night. The ones I found in my dorm were several centimeters long, which is quite large for insects. They have really long antennae and can run really fast. I once found one crawling up a wall, which completely freaked out some of the girls passing by. Which order contains these rather uncharismatic insects?

Answer: Blattodea

Blattodea (cockroaches) are common pests all over the planet. The most common in North America are the German cockroach and the American cockroach. These particular one were American cockroaches and tend to be much larger than the German ones. The American cockroach too is the one that will eat your food if left open.

They are most hated for spreading diseases and are also extremely difficult to exterminate. They have exceptional adaptations for evading attacks and are especially sensitive to light.

They are also very resistant to radiation. My friend actually put one in a microwave for a minute and it survived.
5. As Kara and I were walking by a street light one night we noticed a large conglomeration of insects. These were unusual insects that we do not come across everyday. It looked like they had all hatched on the same day and when we came back in a couple days they had all disappeared. We also noticed that this was near a pond. From which order do think these guys are?

Answer: Ephemeroptera

Plecoptera (stoneflies) and Megaloptera are both mostly solitary orders. Anoplura is an order of lice which are always found on hosts. Ephemeroptera is the order of mayflies. These creatures are very social as adults and are usually only found in large groups.

They live in shallow water as nymph and all hatch at the same time. They live for about a day, mate, lay eggs, and die. This is why they are rare to find as adults. Their nymphs, also called naiads, are fairly large and really cool looking too.

They can be found in many clean streams and are actually used as a marker in water quality analyses.
6. Another common pest in my apartment are these little creatures. They tend to be blackish or reddish and if any food gets spilled or left out, they are always there. They are also an extremely social insect and are often found carrying food back out of the apartment with them. What family do you these guys are?

Answer: Formicidae

These of course are ants. All ants belong to the family Formicidae in the order Hymenoptera. They get their name because they can produce formic acid. They are extremely successful creatures in their niche. In fact they can be found nearly everywhere but only belong to a select number of species.

They are what we call eusocial meaning they have a highly advanced social behavior and actually function as one creature.
7. My mom's friend owns a farm of these insects. They are yellowish and are very social too. They are also a bit fuzzy. He uses them to make honey. In which family are these?

Answer: Apidae

Apidae is the family of most bees but in particular the honey bees. A bee farm is technically called an apiary from the name of the family. They are also part of Hymenoptera. These little yellow insects are farmed all over the world for their honey.

They like ants are eusocial and much research has been done studying their communication. They use mostly a combination of visual as well as chemical cues to communicate with each other. They are famed for their "waggle" dance in which they move around in such a way that their siblings understand where to find food.

A serious threat to honey bees in the Americas has also recently come up. Africanized honey bees, also called killer bees, have be introduced and have spread all over the Americas.

They are more successful and therefore have been taking over normal honey bees habitat. They are, however, more aggressive and produce less honey.
8. One of the coolest insects are these little flying creatures. When you walk around at night in the summertime, you can quite often find them flashing. They are actually bioluminescent and flash their abdomens to communicate with each other. From which family are these insects?

Answer: Lampyridae

These are the fireflies or lightning bugs. They use this flash mainly in mating. The males fly around flashing and when a female is ready to mate she will flash back. The length and rate of flashing is different dependent on the species. There are actually a few species which are described as being "femme fatales." This is because the females will actually flash the pattern of a different species of firefly and when a male of that species comes to mate, the female will eat him instead.
9. For any botanists, this family of insects is very familiar. These guys are found almost always in huge numbers, eating plants. They are so common that other insects like ants have co-evolved with them. They secrete a substance called honeydew which the ants eat and in return the ants guard these insects from harm. For me to identify them, I always look for two cornicles on the end of their abdomens. Which family of insects is this?

Answer: Aphididae

Aphidae or aphids are small and whitish. They are harmless to humans but like to eat people's crops. They are normally wingless and swarm plants but sometimes they have wings and can travel to new locations. They are also food to many other insects. They belong to the order Homoptera (Hemiptera).
10. I couldn't write this quiz without including a spot for my longtime insect partner. His name is Alex and he loves beetles. Particularly he loves this family of beetles. These are almost certainly the most charismatic of beetles. The family includes such species as Goliath beetles, dung beetles, June beetles, elephant beetles, and many more. This family includes the largest (by mass) species of any insect alive today. They can be easily identified by their unique antennae. Which family of beetles is Alex's favorite?

Answer: Scarabaeidae

A scarab's antennae is described as being lamellate. It has an entirely unique structure that only this family shares. Scarabs live all over the world and come in numerous shapes and colors. They were a worshiped symbol of the sun-god Ra in ancient Egypt.

They actually do not have the largest number of species (the weevils or Curculionidae does) but are very close. Their diversity is endless.
Source: Author theskink

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor crisw before going online.
Any errors found in FunTrivia content are routinely corrected through our feedback system.
3/29/2024, Copyright 2024 FunTrivia, Inc. - Report an Error / Contact Us