The Paleontology of North America

Insects from North America

> Chelicerates | Crustaceans | Insects | Other Arthropods | Trilobites

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Gryllidae
Gryllidae
© 1998 UCMP

Dolichopodidae
Dolichopodidae
© 1998 UCMP

Rhagionidae
Rhagionidae
© 1998 UCMP

What are Insects? Insects generally have a body divided into three segments: head, thorax, and abdomen. They belong to the group Hexapoda, meaning “six-footed,” because they have six legs on the thorax. Also included here are three groups of wingless hexapods, Collembola, Protrura, and Diplura, because they are close relatives of insects, and their relationships are still being studied. Some paleontologists consider Collembola (springtails), whose fossils have been found in Devonian rocks, to be the oldest known insects. Members of the other groups first appear in the Carboniferous.

First known fossil occurrence: Devonian.

Last known fossil occurrence: Quaternary. This group has living relatives.

Fossils through time:
Choose a time period to see what life was like:

Quaternary
Tertiary
Cretaceous
Jurassic
Triassic
Permian
Carboniferous
Devonian
Silurian
Ordovician
Cambrian
Precambrian