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Psocodea is a taxonomic group of insects comprising the bark lice, book lice and parasitic lice. [2] It was formerly considered a superorder, but is now generally considered by entomologists as an order.
In 2016 the list of birds of the world maintained by Frank Gill and David Donsker on behalf of the International Ornithologists' Union included 448 species for which Linnaeus's description in the 10th edition is cited as the authority. Of these species, 101 have been retained in their original genus and 347 have been moved to a different genus.
Insects are mostly solitary, but some, such as bees, ants and termites, are social and live in large, well-organized colonies. Others, such as earwigs, provide maternal care, guarding their eggs and young. Insects can communicate with each other in a variety of ways. Male moths can sense the pheromones of female moths over great distances.
Birds feature in the flag designs of 17 countries and numerous subnational entities and territories. [326] Birds are used by nations to symbolise a country's identity and heritage, with 91 countries officially recognising a national bird. Birds of prey are highly represented, though some nations have chosen other species of birds with parrots ...
Insects, birds and mammals play roles in literature and film, [214] such as in giant bug movies. [215] [216] [217] Animals including insects [210] and mammals [218] feature in mythology and religion. The scarab beetle was sacred in ancient Egypt, [219] and the cow is sacred in Hinduism. [220]
During the Jurassic, herbivorous and then carnivorous genera became more common. In the Cenozoic , genera at all three trophic levels became far more numerous. During the Jurassic ( 210 to 145 mya ), there was a dramatic increase in the diversity of beetle families, [ 29 ] including the development and growth of carnivorous and herbivorous species.
Between 950,000–1,000,000 of all described animal species are considered insects, so over 50% of all described eukaryotes (1.8 million species) are insects (see illustration). With only 950,000 known non-insects, if the actual total number of insects is 5.5 million, they may represent over 80% of the total, and with only about 20,000 new ...
Insects form an important part of the food chain, especially for entomophagous vertebrates such as many mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Insects play a critical role in maintaining community structure and composition; in the case of animals through diseases transmission, predation and parasitism , and in plants through phytophagy and ...