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Quiz about Identify That Bug Harder
Quiz about Identify That Bug Harder

Identify That Bug! (Harder) 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 more experienced entomologists).

A multiple-choice quiz by theskink. Estimated time: 7 mins.
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Author
theskink
Time
7 mins
Type
Multiple Choice
Quiz #
327,381
Updated
Dec 03 21
# Qns
10
Difficulty
Tough
Avg Score
5 / 10
Plays
341
Last 3 plays: Guest 85 (3/10), Guest 64 (0/10), Guest 152 (4/10).
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Question 1 of 10
1. The other day I was cleaning out my empty water pitcher, when I noticed something jump inside it. It was extremely small; so small that I couldn't make out any features on it. It didn't seem to be able to fly, but sure liked jumping. What order do you think this creature is in? Hint


Question 2 of 10
2. Recently I moved to a new apartment. This apartment is really old and has tons of ants and fruit flies everywhere. This morning when I went to get the bread I found an insect crawling around it. I immediately assumed it was an ant (it was the same size), but on a closer look I found it wasn't. The body shape and antennae were similar to an ant, but the thing that stuck out most were a pair of rather long "pincers" coming off its abdomen. What order do you think this one is in? Hint


Question 3 of 10
3. A few years ago (2002) I was reading an article in a magazine that said scientists have discovered a new order of insects. I was really surprised. It's not everyday that a new order is discovered. The magazine said they are commonly called gladiators and they live in Africa. To which order do you think these creatures belong? Hint


Question 4 of 10
4. One of my biggest mix-ups was with what I thought was this insect. I later identified this specimen as a larva of a beetle (Coleoptera). It was small (~5cm), clear colored, and simple looking. It lacks eyes but has cerci. Its body is lobed and elongated. Most specimens of this order are actually much smaller, though one family, which I assumed this one was in, is larger and is called Japygidae. They are soil insects and are extremely small. In which order did I think this specimen was? Hint


Question 5 of 10
5. One of the tasks of my current job is to sort through insects that other people have collected. Lately I have been working on flight-intercept traps, designed to collect flying insects. By far the most common insect in these traps is this extremely small insect. It has four wings and a torpedo shaped body. The most interesting thing about these guys is that their wings are very thin but are surrounded by hairs. To which order do you think these insects belong? Hint


Question 6 of 10
6. Ever since I came to Miami University (in SW Ohio) I've heard stories of this one particular insect which plagued everyone the summer before I came to college (2004). This insect apparently came out in enormous numbers, covering everything. They aren't very small either (~30mm). They don't bite, but do a good job at scaring everyone who knows little about insects. What family are these insects in? Hint


Question 7 of 10
7. The other day my girlfriend and I were out by a stream looking for bugs, of course. One of the most common bugs we found on the water were of this family. They have a unique ability to stand on water. You may have seen them running around in small bodies of water like streams and ponds. What family is this? Hint


Question 8 of 10
8. Although in general I hate flies, I found this one really cool looking one. I found it in my dorm last year, in one of the bathrooms in the basement. At first I wasn't sure it was a fly since it had fuzzy body. Its antennae were long too. If I didn't take a closer look I would have said it looked like a moth. To which family of flies do you think this insect belongs? Hint


Question 9 of 10
9. This insect is one of my favorites. The specimen I found was actually inside my dorm (this happened with a lot of random insects) but usually lives outside. I liked it since it was really colorful, and I found out most of these were extremely colorful. It had a hard shell on its back too. The most unique thing is that it had antennae which were longer than their entire body length which I hadn't seen in similar insects. Which family do you think this is? Hint


Question 10 of 10
10. Though in general I find butterflies and moths rather boring, I once found a really cool looking one. It was at night. It was the largest moth I had ever seen and in fact this family contains the largest (in area) of any insects. This one was bright, lime green and had two tails. It was also really fuzzy. Which family do you think this specimen was in? Hint



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Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts
1. The other day I was cleaning out my empty water pitcher, when I noticed something jump inside it. It was extremely small; so small that I couldn't make out any features on it. It didn't seem to be able to fly, but sure liked jumping. What order do you think this creature is in?

Answer: Collembola

After collecting it, I brought it into my lab and looked at it under a microscope. Though it was extremely small, I could make out a furcula, a small fork-like structure used for jumping and diagnostic of Collembola. Collembolans are also known for being very small and living everywhere, even Antarctica. So it was no surprise I found it in my water pitcher.

They are usually found in soil though, and can be found in large numbers in ground based traps such as a pit-fall trap.
2. Recently I moved to a new apartment. This apartment is really old and has tons of ants and fruit flies everywhere. This morning when I went to get the bread I found an insect crawling around it. I immediately assumed it was an ant (it was the same size), but on a closer look I found it wasn't. The body shape and antennae were similar to an ant, but the thing that stuck out most were a pair of rather long "pincers" coming off its abdomen. What order do you think this one is in?

Answer: Dermaptera

Dermaptera, commonly called earwigs, are small ant-like insects that often live in old buildings. These pincers are actually called cerci and though they look scary, they are harmless. Cerci are usually used for sensing vibrations, but can also be used to catch or hold prey.

However, they never bite humans, so don't worry. Thysanura (silverfish) and Isoptera (termites) are also good guesses, but Thysanura aren't found around food as much and don't look like ants and Isoptera never have abdominal appendages.
3. A few years ago (2002) I was reading an article in a magazine that said scientists have discovered a new order of insects. I was really surprised. It's not everyday that a new order is discovered. The magazine said they are commonly called gladiators and they live in Africa. To which order do you think these creatures belong?

Answer: Mantophasmatidea

Some scientists have decided to lower this group to simply a family and put them with Grylloblatodea (rock-crawlers) in an order called Notoptera. Their name comes from a combination of mantids (Mantodea) and walking sticks (Phasmatodea). To me they look more superficially similar to grasshoppers.

These were discovered in Namibia which has one of the most unique deserts on the planet with a large number of endemic animals.
4. One of my biggest mix-ups was with what I thought was this insect. I later identified this specimen as a larva of a beetle (Coleoptera). It was small (~5cm), clear colored, and simple looking. It lacks eyes but has cerci. Its body is lobed and elongated. Most specimens of this order are actually much smaller, though one family, which I assumed this one was in, is larger and is called Japygidae. They are soil insects and are extremely small. In which order did I think this specimen was?

Answer: Diplura

In fact the specimen I had and those of Diplura are extremely similar, no matter how hard I looked at it. The one key characteristic that I knew made it not Diplura was its external mouthparts. All Diplurans have internal mouthparts. One thing that you always need to keep in mind when identifying insects is that your specimen might be an larva, nymph, or pupa, in which case they will often look nothing like the adult you are used to looking for.
5. One of the tasks of my current job is to sort through insects that other people have collected. Lately I have been working on flight-intercept traps, designed to collect flying insects. By far the most common insect in these traps is this extremely small insect. It has four wings and a torpedo shaped body. The most interesting thing about these guys is that their wings are very thin but are surrounded by hairs. To which order do you think these insects belong?

Answer: Thysanoptera

Thysanoptera (literally "fringe-winged") is the order of thrips. Thrips are very tiny flying insects that are found all over the world. All Dipterans have two wings. All Hymenopterans have a pinched waist and are not torpedo shaped. They are also not abundant in the way that thrips are.

They may be extremely small and have fringed wings though. Trichoptera also are not common in this way and are much bigger. A thrips is not the easiest thing to identify, but they always have a distinct torpedo shape to them.
6. Ever since I came to Miami University (in SW Ohio) I've heard stories of this one particular insect which plagued everyone the summer before I came to college (2004). This insect apparently came out in enormous numbers, covering everything. They aren't very small either (~30mm). They don't bite, but do a good job at scaring everyone who knows little about insects. What family are these insects in?

Answer: Cicadidae

In the order, Homoptera, Cicadidae or cicadas, are one of the most amazing animals. One particular genus (Magicicada) has a habit of emerging every seventeen or thirteen years in huge numbers. They are very docile and completely harmless. (Except my mentor, Dave, told me a dog he knew ate too many and died of them clogging his intestines).

This particular brood, Brood X, is actually the biggest, but we will have to wait until 2021 before they emerge again.
7. The other day my girlfriend and I were out by a stream looking for bugs, of course. One of the most common bugs we found on the water were of this family. They have a unique ability to stand on water. You may have seen them running around in small bodies of water like streams and ponds. What family is this?

Answer: Gerridae

Gerridae is the family of water striders. They have small hairs on their tarsi (feet) that help increase the surface area and in turn the force of the water tension against their feet, allowing them to walk on water. Notonectidae (backswimmers) use a similar technique and float on the water too.
8. Although in general I hate flies, I found this one really cool looking one. I found it in my dorm last year, in one of the bathrooms in the basement. At first I wasn't sure it was a fly since it had fuzzy body. Its antennae were long too. If I didn't take a closer look I would have said it looked like a moth. To which family of flies do you think this insect belongs?

Answer: Psychodidae

From my description of a fly that "looked like a moth," the first thing that should come to mind is a moth fly. These little guys often live near unused water in dark, damp places (exactly like a basement bathroom). The characteristic of relatively long antennae too, is very unusual in the order Diptera. Most of these flies are completely harmless, though possibly annoying like house flies.
9. This insect is one of my favorites. The specimen I found was actually inside my dorm (this happened with a lot of random insects) but usually lives outside. I liked it since it was really colorful, and I found out most of these were extremely colorful. It had a hard shell on its back too. The most unique thing is that it had antennae which were longer than their entire body length which I hadn't seen in similar insects. Which family do you think this is?

Answer: Cerambycidae

Individuals from this family are commonly called long-horned beetles, since their antennae are so long. They come in many different colors and are typically very vibrant. The hard shell (elytron) is diagnostic of the order of beetles, Coleoptera. This can occur in some bugs (Hemiptera), but they are easy to tell apart since all beetles shells have a line running down their back which is how the shell opens to allow the wings to move.

This family like the other three families contains a huge number of insect species and is one of the largest families of any living thing.
10. Though in general I find butterflies and moths rather boring, I once found a really cool looking one. It was at night. It was the largest moth I had ever seen and in fact this family contains the largest (in area) of any insects. This one was bright, lime green and had two tails. It was also really fuzzy. Which family do you think this specimen was in?

Answer: Saturniidae

Nymphalidae and Papilionidae are both families of butterflies and no species of Sphingidae match the description. Saturniid moths are not the easiest to identify, but the easiest way is by their enormous size. This particular one I found is called a Luna moth.

They are endemic to eastern North America. A common name for them is giant silkworm moths. This name comes from the fact that some species' caterpillars (larvae) have been harvested for their silk.
Source: Author theskink

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