Insects and Near Relatives

This chapter presents a taxonomy of insects. Insects and mites belong to a larger category of related animals, the phylum Arthropoda. Of all arthropods, mites and spiders are the most closely related to insects in form and function and in their status as pests that damage turfgrass. The chapter then considers the form and function of insects and mites. It looks at the types of mouthparts and turf-feeding damage of chewing and sucking insects. The chapter also studies the orders of turfgrass-damaging insects and mites. Relatively few orders of insects and mites have species destructive to turfgrass. The orders Lepidoptera and Coleoptera are by far the most important in number of destructive species present.