Types of Insect Wing

Types of Insect Wing

1. Membranous: e.g. Dragons Fly Honeybee and Termites: Wings are thin and transparent. They are supported by a system of tubular veins. They are useful in flight.

2. Fringed: e.g. Thrips: Wing lamina is usually reduced in size. Wing margins fringed with long setae. These insects literally swim through the air.

3.  Haltere: e.g. Hand Wings of Housefly: Wings are modified into small knobbed vibrating organ called halters, which act as balancing organs and provided the needed stability during flight.

4. Scaly: e.g. Moths and Butterflies: Wings are covered with scales which are unicellular, flattened outgrowths of the body wall. Scales are responsible for colour. They are important in smoothening the airflow over wings and body. They also insulate the insect against cold.

5. Tegmina: e.g. Forewings of Grasshopper and Cockroach: Wings are leathery or parchment-like. They are protective in function. They are not useful for flight.

6. Elytra: e.g. Forewings of Beetles and Weevils: Wing is heavily sclerotized and thick. Wing venation is lost. Wing is tough and protective in function. It protects the hindwings and the abdomen. It is not used for flight. In flight they are kept at an angle to allow free movement of the hindwings.

7. Hemelytra: e.g. Red Cotton Bug: The basal half of the wing is thick and leathery. The distal half is membranous. They are protective in function and not involved in flight.