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There are seven levels to the taxonomical hierarchy of living things. From the broadest level to the most specific, they are: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus and Species. An easy way to remember all seven levels in the correct order is by using the following mnemonic:

We can use the red imported fire ant ( Solenopsis invicta) as an example of how to classify an organism using taxonomy. Here is how this species falls into each taxonomic level:

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Arthropoda

Class: Insecta

Order: Hymenoptera

Family: Formicidae

Genus: Solenopsis

Species: Solenopsis invicta

The hierarchy starts out very general at Kingdom and more specific information is gained about the organism the further down the hierarchy we go, up until we reach Species. All insects form a Class of their own called Insecta and all insects belong to the same Phylum (Arthropoda) and Kingdom (Animalia). The major groups of insects can be seen within the Order, which is why we focus on this level for the basics of learning how to identify insects.

There are many ways that we can identify different groups of insects. It is best to consider as many physical characteristics as possible. Luckily for us, the mouthparts are pretty reliable for distinguishing between the major insect groups.

Ants belong to the Hymenoptera order, but if we want to identify an insect even further to its family, genus, or species, we need to look really closely at the rest of the insect's body, as well as its mouthparts. Knowing where the insect lives and what other animals and plants it interacts with also helps in the identification process.

Here's a list of the most common insect orders with their common names and mouthpart types:

Coleoptera (beetles) - chewing

Diptera (flies) - sponging (non-biting), piercing-sucking (biting)

Odonata (dragonflies) - chewing

Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) - chewing (ants), chewing-lapping (bees and wasps)

Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) - siphoning

Hemiptera (true bugs*) - piercing-sucking

Orthoptera (grasshoppers, katydids and crickets) - chewing

Want to learn the details of how insects use their mouthparts to eat? Check out this site or this one. At the University of Kentucky, the Department of Entomology also provides a breakdown of mouthparts for master gardeners. North Carolina State University includes drawings and photos of the different components that make up mouthparts.

If you're interested in learning how to identify insects, here are some other useful links to get you started, including this one and this one.

*The Hemiptera order is very diverse, containing a lot of insects that don't really look very similar to each other. This group is otherwise known as the "true bugs," and they're distinct from other insect orders because of their piercing-sucking mouthpart type and their front wings. All true bugs are insects, but not all insects are true bugs!

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A simple way to tell insects apart - Anika Hazra

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There are nearly a million known insect species in the world, but most have one of just five common types of mouthparts. Why is this information useful to scientists? Anika Hazra explains how the features of an insect's mouthparts can help identify which order it belongs to, while also providing clues about how it evolved and what it feeds on.

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BBS Plant & Animal Structures Phenomenon Video

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How Do Living Things Stay Safe and Grow? is part of Smithsonian Science for the Classroom, a new curriculum series by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. It is aligned to a group of grade 1 standards. It has a focus on life science with a secondary focus on engineering. In this module, students:

Use observations of adult plants and animals as evidence that offspring are very similar to, but not exactly like, their parents

Obtain information from text, images, video, and a simulation to determine how patterns of behavior help offspring survive

Explore how external parts of plants and animals help them survive, grow, and meet their needs

Mimic external parts of plants and animals in designing a tool to solve a human problem

Apply their knowledge of behaviors and external parts to "survive" in a hypothetical game

Below are digital resources that support teaching of this module.

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How Do Living Things Stay Safe And Grow?

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How Do Living Things Stay Safe and Grow? is part of Smithsonian Science for the Classroom, a new curriculum series by the Smithsonian Science Education Center. It is aligned to a group of grade 1 standards. It has a focus on life science with a secondary focus on engineering.

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Structure and Function and Information Processing

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Here’s How That Annoying Fly Dodges Your Swatter | Deep Look