Comprehensive Entomology – Morphology, Behavior, Evolution, and Pest Management Practice Test

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• What is the scientific name of the moth responsible for most commercial silk production?
• Lytta vesicatoria belongs to which family?
• Sawfly larvae can be distinguished from Lepidoptera larvae by which feature?
• Approximately what percentage of the described insect species are pests?
• Which life stage directly follows the egg in complete metamorphosis?
• Which statement correctly describes the difference in fang orientation between mygalomorph and araneomorph spiders?
• Which of the following is a primary reason biologists use insects in research?
• Which ecosystem function involves spreading and establishing plant populations?
• What two water characteristics are inversely proportional to dissolved oxygen levels?
• In entomology, which description best matches the term fossorial?
• Who is the fictional medical examiner in Patricia Cornwell's crime novel series?
• Insect Systematics is the focus of which chapter?
• Dr. Kay Scarpetta is a fictional medical examiner created by which author?
• In maggot therapy, maggots secrete antimicrobial enzymes. What is the primary role of these enzymes?
• What are the three primary body segments of an insect?
• What are the dense, electrostatically-charged hairs on bees used for pollen collection called?
• What is the target audience for Level 2 difficulty questions?
• What is haplodiploidy?
• What structures allow hemolymph to enter the insect heart from the pericardial cavity?
• Which lacewing family has fully aquatic larvae?
• Megaphragma mymaripenne achieves extreme miniaturization during pupation by losing more than what percentage of its nerve cell nuclei?
• Carmine is a common trade name for a red dye derived from which insect group?
• What is the target audience for Level 1 difficulty questions?
• What is the structural difference between hemerythrin and hemocyanin in terms of metal usage?
• What anatomical structure marks the boundary between the midgut and hindgut?
• What is the primary nitrogenous waste excreted by terrestrial insects?
• Which artist is associated with using insects to symbolize decay in his work?
• Insects and Plants is the focus of which chapter?
• What respiratory structure delivers oxygen directly to tissues in insects?
• The first female leader of the Entomological Society of America was which entomologist?
• The oldest known sentence inscribed on a comb was part of grooming practices involving removing what?
• What is the primary morphological difference between Anopheles and Culex mosquitoes?
• Which structures connect the hindwing and forewing in many Lepidoptera to aid flight stability?
• What is induced defense in plants?
• Which of the following is NOT a way insect pigments are produced?
• Which of the following is true about polyurethane biodegradation in insects?
• Which chapter focuses on Internal Anatomy and Physiology?
• External wing development is a trait of which insect group?
• Who discovered the honeybee waggle dance?
• Polyurethane degradation by gut microbes has been observed in which larval stage?
• What are the hardened forewings found in Coleoptera called?
• Where are the infrared-detecting pit organs located on fire beetles?
• Which class of pesticides inhibits acetylcholinesterase, leading to nerve dysfunction?
• Notoptera comprises Grylloblattodea and Mantophasmatodea. Which statement is true?
• In which novella does the protagonist wake up transformed into a giant bug?
• What does the term 'labidognathous' describe?
• The Starry Night artwork involving a hissing cockroach was created by which person?
• Caerostris darwini belongs to which genus?
• How do domesticated silkmoths differ from their wild relatives?
• In the honey bee waggle dance, which information is encoded along with distance?
• Among insect orders, which shows the greatest diversity in aquatic habitats?
• Which mouthpart helps dung beetles push soil and maneuver dung?
• What are proprioceptors?
• Which edition is cited for the text?
• Induced defenses in plants are typically activated in response to damage and result in what?
• Which of the following is not listed as a contributor to Franklin's bumblebee decline?
• What term refers to corresponding structures on different segments of an insect?
• When did holometaboly evolve?
• Which term describes an organism that lives commensally within the nest of another organism?
• Which term describes maggot therapy debridement focusing on necrotic tissue removal?
• Why is frequent rotation of insecticides recommended in fly management?
• What is the purpose of urate cells in cockroaches?
• Which insect group includes the dung beetle guilds rollers, tunnelers, and dwellers?
• What substance was used to write the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence, derived from wasp activity?
• Which chapter focuses on Sensory Systems and Behavior?
• Which plant-insect relationship involves the Madagascar star orchid and a giant hawkmoth?
• What is the focus of Chapter 18 in Gullan and Cranston?
• Which statement about the listed chapters is true?
• Which three factors contributed to the decline and vulnerability of Franklin's bumblebee (Bombus franklini)?
• What insect is featured on the hairclip of the titular character in the film 'Coraline'?
• In a honey bee waggle dance, what two types of information are communicated to other bees?
• In pest management, what does MoA stand for?
• What are apposition eyes?
• Maria Sibylla Merian is celebrated for accurate illustrations of metamorphosis and challenging which idea?
• Which insect caused the Great French Wine Blight?
• Which invasive invertebrate ate through hurricane-damaged seawalls made of bagasse?
• What percentage of insect plasma is water?
• What chemical is produced in high concentrations by Oak galls and historically used to create ink?
• Which U.S. federal agency began as the Office of Malaria Control in War Areas?
• Which insect larvae can break down polyurethane using gut microbes?
• Which two insect orders contain the most diverse groups of leaf-chewing insects?
• Ephemeroptera is part of which index?
• Which insect holds the record for the fastest wing beats?
• Insects and Plants is the focus of which chapter?
• What was the wingspan of Meganeura monyi?
• What unique liquid do moths in the genus Calyptra consume?
• Tagmatization is the evolutionary process of
• Which chapter focus would most likely discuss control strategies for pest populations?
• Forcipomyia is the genus associated with the fastest wing-beat insect. What is its common name?
• Which invertebrates use hemerythrin as an oxygen-binding pigment?
• Holometabolous insects undergo complete metamorphosis in which sequence?
• How do aphids obtain their obligate endosymbiont Buchnera aphidicola?
• What are the four life stages of insects undergoing complete metamorphosis?
• What is the primary attractant for flies in pollination?
• The insect crop is part of which major gut region?
• Which ecosystem function helps maintain plant community composition?
• The red pigment in cochineal dye is derived from which insect body structures?
• Which insects are responsible for creating 'fairy circles'?
• What is the term for an ancestral character state in evolutionary biology?
• Which organism did Thomas Hunt Morgan use to establish the Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance?
• Which organism had offspring conceived in space, such as Nadezhda?
• Meganeura monyi is known for its wingspan measurement of which size?
• What structural polysaccharide is found in both fungal cell walls and arthropod exoskeletons?
• What fly genus causes myiasis in sheep, and what is this condition called?
• Sawfly larvae possess what distinguishing eye feature compared to Lepidoptera larvae?
• One function of the bacterial secretion produced by female beewolves is to cue larval cocoon orientation.
• Insects have spiracles. What are spiracles?
• Which order contains the extinct family Dasyleptidae and the extant families Meinertellidae and Machilidae?
• What mouthpart adaptation in Bombyliidae facilitates pollination?
• Which common household pest is associated with transmitting anthrax, dysentery, cholera, typhoid, and tuberculosis?
• Bombyx mori is widely used for silk production. It is best described as which of the following?
• Which order's larvae are known for constructing jewelry cases?
• The insect circulatory fluid is called what?
• What is the unusual feature of the protist Mixotricha paradoxa?
• Which name is associated with ESA’s historical first female president?
• Which insect subfamily transmits Chagas disease?
• What purpose do brochosomes serve for leafhoppers?
• Salticidae's charismatic trait is due to forward-facing eyes that resemble what?
• Which of the following is NOT one of the four types of insect hemocytes listed?
• In Greek mythology, who was transformed into a spider for humiliating Athena?
• Which author wrote The Metamorphosis?
• Which organization defines four categories of insecticide use including non-crop?
• The Rothamsted Insect Survey began in which decade?
• What hysteric behavior is popularly believed to result from the bite of the wolf spider Lycosa tarantula?
• What is the primary use of maggot therapy?
• What is the San Jose scale's scientific name?
• Chapulines are described in the material as toasted what?
• Which insects were the first to be sent into space?
• Oxidative stress damages which cellular components?
• Which insect is honored by a statue in Enterprise, Alabama?
• Which genus of ant is known for creating massive raiding swarms in African savannas?
• What was the first organism to give birth to offspring conceived in space?
• Why are organophosphates toxic to insects?
• Pediculus humanus humanus is commonly known as the body louse. Which option correctly identifies this organism in the list?
• Which type of gills do Gripopterygidae stoneflies possess?
• To study Internal Anatomy and Physiology, which chapter should you consult?
• What is the common name for the only extant Ricinoididae species in the United States?
• What is the scientific name of the bee nicknamed 'the bee that walks on water' found in the Chiricahua region?
• Edith Patch is recognized for achieving which historic milestone within the Entomological Society of America?
• In entomology, the term for an organism that transmits disease is:
• Copper-based oxygen-transport pigment in some invertebrates is which?
• Which group is hexapods closely related to according to the Pancrustacea hypothesis?
• What are the two major body regions of arachnids?
• What nitrogen-containing polysaccharide found in insects is also a component of Shrilk?
• What is the medical term for itching?
• In insects that undergo complete metamorphosis, what term correctly describes the immature stage?
• Archaeognatha is sometimes referred to by which alternative name?
• Which three colors are most attractive to bees?
• Which insect order is known for larvae that create jewelry cases?
• Which family uses reflex bleeding and contains cantharidin?
• The oldest known sentence on a comb was related to the removal of what from hair?
• To which IRAC sub-group do organophosphate insecticides like Acephate and Phosmet belong?
• Dense, electrostatically-charged hairs on bees used for pollen collection are called
• How does aposematism differ from crypsis in insects?
• Which chapter focuses on External Anatomy?
• Identify the entomologist who held ESA's pioneering female presidency.
• Who is the author of 'The Insect Epiphany: How Our Six-Legged Allies Shape Human Culture'?
• Chapter 8 focuses on which topic?
• Which of the following is an essential ecosystem function performed by insects?
• Under the Pancrustacea hypothesis, hexapods are more closely related to which group than to myriapods?
• What does the term 'orthognathous' describe in spiders?
• What is another name for the order Archaeognatha?
• What is the scientific name of the insect used by Thomas Hunt Morgan to establish the Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance?
• Which term is the commonly used name for myiasis in sheep caused by Lucilia larvae?
• Who first described the cottony cushion scale (Icerya purchasi) in 1878?
• Which statement about endosymbiosis in aphids is correct?
• Reflex bleeding in blister beetles (family Meloidae) contains which chemical?
• The public health agency that began as malaria control in wartime is what?
• Which strategy is characterized by warning coloration and chemical defenses to deter predators?
• Hemocyanin turns what color when oxygenated?
• The pylorus marks the boundary between which two gut regions?
• In ESA history, who embodies the first female leadership?
• Where should you inspect a mattress for bedbugs?
• In Silence of the Lambs, what insect pupa is placed in a victim's throat?
• In some bioluminescent chironomid midges, light emission is produced by which excretory organ?
• Agaonidae are obligate pollinators of which plant group?
• The word 'bug' originates from a Middle English word meaning what?
• What is the medical term for the skin lesions caused by Loxosceles reclusa venom?
• Telescoping generations describe which reproductive pattern in aphids?
• Which topic is not a focus among the listed chapters?
• Which famous author, also known as Dr. Seuss, drew mosquitoes for the U.S. Army?
• Sericulture refers to the industry of rearing which organism to produce silk?
• Plecoptera is part of which index?
• The described grooming trend involving shaved eyebrows and wing-like markings is associated with which Chinese dynasty?
• What is the difference between lentic and lotic systems?
• How many needles make up a mosquito proboscis?
• Which two water characteristics are inversely related to dissolved oxygen levels?
• The first woman president of the Entomological Society of America is which person?
• In holometabolous blood-feeding insects, which life stages are present, and which stage vectors disease?
• What is the function of glycerol in insect plasma?
• What is the scientific name and family of the 'Spanish fly' used in historical aphrodisiacs?
• What is the name of the anti-predatory norsesquiterpene secreted by whirligig beetles?
• Megalopygidae are commonly known as what?
• Vectors of Dengue, West Nile virus, and malaria belong to which insect family?
• Which insect family contains the obligate pollinators of fig trees?
• Insect Societies is the focus of which chapter?
• Which early entomologist challenged spontaneous generation through accurate illustrations of life cycles?
• What is the IRAC sub-group for DDT?
• What is the maximum number of ostia an insect can possess?
• Which mouthpart is used by dung beetles to push soil and maneuver dung?
• What is detoxification in insect biology?
• Which pair of chapters focuses on topics related to defense and medical aspects of insects respectively?
• What is the scientific name of the hissing cockroaches used by Steven Kutcher to create 'Starry Night'?
• Which order does Lytta vesicatoria belong to?
• What insect component did Victorian microscopist Henry Dalton use to create art on microscope slides?
• How many regions make up the insect hemocoel?
• What term defines a species whose loss could collapse the ecosystem?
• Identify the pioneer who became ESA's first female president.
• Which term describes openings that allow hemolymph into the heart in insects?
• In arachnology, what does FWS stand for?
• Which statement best describes Vespa mandarinia in pest management terms?
• Which taxonomist established the 'superorganism' concept?
• What is the primary respiratory pigment in crustaceans and arachnids?
• Which insect is associated with Buchnera aphidicola as its obligate endosymbiont?
• What is the world's longest insect?
• The cavity that surrounds the heart in insects is called what?
• Which term describes insects whose wings develop externally?
• Which structure allows hemolymph to enter the heart from the body cavity?
• Salticidae is often described as charismatic because of what feature?
• Which act, enacted in 1862, established the land-grant university system in the United States?
• Which groups primarily use hemocyanin as their respiratory pigment?
• The 1971 song 'Fly' that imitates the buzzing of a fly was performed by which artist?
• Corbiculae are pollen-transport structures found on the hind legs of which bees?
• Trichoptera is part of which index?
• Which non-native Hymenopteran, known as the murder hornet, posed an agricultural threat in Washington State in 2020?
• What is the etymological meaning of the word 'arthropod'?
• What are the four types of insect hemocytes?
• What does the Early Burst Hypothesis suggest regarding early insect evolution?
• What is the common trade name for the red dye derived from cochineal scale insects?
• Trehalose in insect hemolymph serves as which of the following in contrast to vertebrate glucose?
• What term describes mouthparts that are directed posteriorly?
• Which combination of insect orders is known for the most diverse leaf-chewing insects?
• Which pigment binds oxygen in some invertebrates using iron?
• What are three reasons larvae are more sensitive to insecticides than adults?
• Why did entomologist George Hudson propose daylight saving time?
• How many times has insect flight evolved?
• The 'superorganism' concept is attributed to which entomologist?
• Which legislation created the modern land-grant university system?
• Which class includes 'dwarf millipedes' and 'garden centipedes'?
• Which order is NOT part of the ETP Index?
• Which statement accurately describes the dung beetle guilds telecoprids, paracoprids, and endocoprids?
• What does the Pancrustacea Hypothesis propose about the relationship between hexapods and crustaceans?
• Which scientist sparked the modern environmentalist movement with writings on pesticides?
• What is the focus of Chapter 16 in Gullan and Cranston?
• Why might insecticides fail in the field despite lab success?
• How many extant species of honeybees exist worldwide?
• Which artist mimicked the buzzing of a house fly in the 1971 song 'Fly'?
• Which organism's larvae are known to biodegrade polyurethane via gut microbes?
• What defines subsocial behavior in an adult insect?
• Which option best lists the three criteria for eusociality?
• In studies of biodegrading polyurethanes by insects, which larval insect is identified as capable due to its gut microbes?
• How do insecticides induce oxidative stress?
• Pulicosis is skin irritation caused by a bite of which creature?
• The three dung beetle guilds telecoprids, paracoprids, and endocoprids are commonly known by which trio?
• How do pyrethroids and neonicotinoids differ in their mechanism of action?
• Which describes quasisociality?
• In The Odyssey, how is Polyphemus defeated?
• Which spider species produces the toughest known silk?
• What is the genus of the hissing cockroach used in Steven Kutcher's Starry Night?
• What insect did Reaumur suggest could be imitated to produce paper?
• In which year was the cottony cushion scale first described?
• Which statement correctly describes the mosquito proboscis?
• Insect Societies is the focus of which chapter?
• How can Mymarommatidae wasps be distinguished from flies?
• What is the function of cytochrome P450 enzymes in arthropods?
• Which statement correctly lists the three primary body segments of an insect in order from front to back?
• What is the full chemical name of the insecticide DDT?
• Which option lists exactly the three insect species that rank a 4 on the Schmidt sting pain index?
• How are mosquito mouthparts adapted for blood-feeding?
• The resurrected order Notoptera is made up of which two orders?
• What is the focus of Chapter 15 in Gullan and Cranston?
• Which individual is associated with ESA's earliest female president?
• Which short story features children trapping a butterfly in the past, causing future chaos?
• What journal, named after a UC Berkeley soil scientist, published the landmark 1959 paper on integrated control?
• What is the common name for the caddisfly family Dipseudopsidae, named after their aircraft-instrument-like larval cases?
• Who created the Schmidt Sting Pain Index?
• Which resource serves as the primary text for the 2026 entomology games?
• What are the four categories of insecticide use defined by the Xerces Society?
• What is the focus of Chapter 14 in Gullan and Cranston?
• What organs produce light in bioluminescent chironomid midges?
• What is the estimated number of insects alive on Earth at any given moment?
• Insect Development and Life Histories is the focus of which chapter?
• What is the function of Johnston's organ in mosquitoes?
• What is the scientific name of the insect used to produce carminic acid dye?
• Which invasive coleopteran was imported to North America for pest control but became a pest itself?
• What does it mean for an insect to be an 'exopteragote'?
• The hissing cockroach used in Starry Night artwork has which scientific name?
• What percentage of Coleoptera species are aquatic?
• What is the term for insects with external wing development?
• Holometabola comprises how many insect orders?
• Which list correctly names the four arthropod groups represented by Minecraft mobs?
• What is the name of the TV show featuring the forensic entomologist Jack Hodgins?
• Which statement best describes the mechanism behind rapid knockdown associated with pyrethroids?
• Which order name was proposed 11 days after Microcoryphia in 1904?
• The insect horror classic involves a scientist fusing with an insect during a teleportation accident?
• An entomological vector is defined as which of the following?
• What is the focus of Chapter 13 in Gullan and Cranston?
• Which louse species vectors epidemic typhus?
• The ink used to write the U.S. Constitution and Declaration, iron gall ink, is associated with which historical writing medium?
• Which term describes a colony with multiple egg-laying queens?
• The species known for polyurethane degradation by gut microbes within its larval gut is the?
• What is sericulture?
• What is the family and species of the 'little blue bee' discovered in 2024?
• In which arthropod group are the two major body regions the cephalothorax and abdomen?
• Which fly genus transmits Trypanosoma spp., causing sleeping sickness and Nagana?
• Which is the correct scientific name of the insect source for carminic acid dye?
• Which trait is characteristic of Sisyridae larvae?
• In the quote 'float like a butterfly and sting like a bee', to which insect orders do these creatures belong?
• How does Megaphragma mymaripenne achieve extreme miniaturization during its transition from pupa to adult?
• During China's Tang Dynasty, which fashion trend involved shaving eyebrows and painting wing-like markings in their place?
• In 'Charlotte's Web', what is the specific species of Charlotte the spider?
• The oldest fossils definitively recognized as hexapods belong to which group?
• What is the fluid in an insect's circulatory system called?
• Which extinct order is distinguished by winglets on the prothorax?
• Which unique feature distinguishes the extinct order Palaeodictyoptera from all extant insect groups?
• In what decade did the Rothamsted Insect Survey begin?
• The Death's-head hawkmoth has the scientific name Acherontia atropos.
• Reproduction is the focus of which chapter?
• What is a polygyne ant colony?
• What structures allow hemolymph to enter the heart from the pericardial cavity?
• Which disease is listed as transmitted by the house fly?
• What two compounds are combined by fireflies to emit light?
• Which organism was recovered alive from the debris of the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger?
• Which 2022 film starring Brad Pitt was adapted from the novel 'Maria Beetle'?
• Which organization defines four categories of insecticide use including non-crop?
• detoxification enables survival against plant defenses and insecticides. Which statement best describes this role?
• How do ground-nesting ants protect themselves against pathogenic fungi?
• In the cattle disease LSDV, what does LS stand for?
• Who created the Schmidt Sting Pain Index?
• What are the three criteria required for eusociality?
• Mantispinae larvae feed on what?
• Which two diaphragms divide the insect hemocoel?
• What insects have been dug for as food by early hominids in Southern Africa for nearly one million years?
• The fruit flies used in early spaceflight experiments belong to which species?
• What are the two functions of the bacterial secretion produced by the female beewolf (Philanthus triangulum)?
• Which surrealist artist frequently painted insects like ants and grasshoppers as symbols of decay?
• Phryganistria chinensis is commonly referred to as which type of insect?
• What is the scientific name of the lepidopteran domesticated for silk production?
• What is hypermetamorphosis?
• Enterprise, Alabama is associated with which pest through a statue?
• How does ant suturing work as a traditional medical procedure?
• What structures hold butterfly and moth wings together during flight?
• Which ecosystem function maintains animal community structure?
• Insecticide resistance is defined as what?
• Which video game features a bug-themed world with knight-like insects?
• Which plant species requires the giant hawkmoth (Xanthopan morganii) for pollination due to its 30 cm floral spur?
• The insect hemocoel is divided by two diaphragms located dorsally and ventrally. Which pair is it?
• Which Lepidoptera family has caterpillars with seven pairs of prolegs?
• What term describes animals that are parasitic as immatures and free-living as adults?
• What is bioactivation?
• What is the common name of the insect depicted on the golden records carried by the Voyager space probes?
• What is the primary excitatory neurotransmitter at the insect neuromuscular junction?
• Insect Evolution and Biogeography is the focus of which chapter?
• Which statement best contrasts the exite-limb hypothesis with the tergite hypothesis for insect flight evolution?
• What is the 'subnivium' habitat zone?
• What is the difference between stem mining and stem boring?
• A polypneustic tracheal system has how many spiracular openings?
• Who is the legendary monk credited with creating the Northern Praying Mantis martial arts style?
• Which ecosystem function provides nutrients for insectivorous animals?
• Who is known as the 'father of sociobiology'?
• Which four arthropod orders are represented by mobs in Minecraft?
• What is the target audience for Level 3 difficulty questions?
• In the LSDV context, which animal is primarily affected?
• What is specific or pair-wise coevolution?
• Which insect order exhibits the highest diversity in aquatic habitats?
• Who was the first woman president of the Entomological Society of America?
• What is the function of cystocytes in insect hemolymph?
• What is the phenomenon where aphids are pregnant with pregnant aphids?
• What are chapulines?
• George Hudson's proposal for daylight saving time aimed to provide more daylight hours for which activity?