INSECTA
Insecta, class Insecta, Hexapoda, class Hexapoda
(noun) insects; about five-sixths of all known animal species
Source: WordNet® 3.1
In*sec"ta, n. pl. Etym: [NL. See Insect.]
1. (Zoöl.)
Definition: One of the classes of Arthropoda, including those that have one
pair of antennæ, three pairs of mouth organs, and breathe air by
means of tracheæ, opening by spiracles along the sides of the body.
In this sense it includes the Hexapoda, or six-legged insects and the
Myriapoda, with numerous legs. See Insect, n.
2. (Zoöl.)
Definition: In a more restricted sense, the Hexapoda alone. See Hexapoda.
3. (Zoöl.)
Definition: In the most general sense, the Hexapoda, Myriapoda, and
Arachnoidea, combined.
Note: The typical Insecta, or hexapod insects, are divided into
several orders, viz.: Hymenoptera, as the bees and ants; Diptera, as
the common flies and gnats; Aphaniptera, or fleas; Lepidoptera, or
moths and butterflies; Neuroptera, as the ant-lions and hellgamite;
Coleoptera, or beetles; Hemiptera, as bugs, lice, aphids; Orthoptera,
as grasshoppers and cockroaches; Pseudoneuroptera, as the dragon
flies and termites; Euplexoptera, or earwings; Thysanura, as the
springtails, podura, and lepisma. See these words in the Vocabulary.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition