Insects fact sheet

What are Insects?

Insects are one of the most diverse groups of animals in the world and include beetles, butterflies and bees. They are found across a range of different habitats including rainforests, deserts, mountain tops and even in the Antarctic. Insects also live in cities and other urban areas.

Diagram of a butterfly labelled to show the three insect body parts: head, thorax and abdomen. All insects have three body parts - a head, thorax and abdomen. They have 6 legs which are connected to the thorax.

Fast facts – Insects

What are they – Insects belong to a larger animal group called arthropods, which have a segmented body, a protective exoskeleton and pairs of jointed limbs. Arthropods include insects, arachnids, myriapods and crustaceans.

Body features – All insects have three main body parts – a head, thorax and abdomen – and six legs attached to the thorax.

Where they live – Insects live in almost every habitat on Earth, including rainforests, deserts, mountain tops, polar regions such as Antarctica, and in cities and urban areas.

Close-up of an adult lacewing showing its large compound eyes and long antennae. Lacewings are an insect with large compound eyes. Their eyes let them see in every direction at once making them a great hunter.

All insects belong to a larger groups of animals called arthropods. This means they have a segmented body covered in an exoskeleton and pairs of jointed limbs.

There are over one million known arthropod species. Arthropods include insects, arachnids, myriapods and crustaceans.

Case study – native bees

Appearance

Australia is home to over 1500 species of native social and solitary bees as well as a number of introduced species. Bees have 2 antennae and 2 pairs of wings extending from the thorax. Bees have a proboscis for extracting nectar from flowers.

Large striped teddy bear bee with furry legs feeding on nectar with its head inside a flower. The teddy bear bee is one of Australia's largest bees.

Habitat

Native bees nest in places such as hollow trunks, tree branches, rock crevices and in underground burrows. They are also known to build small hives in wall cavities and the brickwork of houses.

Some types of native social bees can be kept in built hives.

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Role in the ecosystem

Native bees are pollinators of native flowering plants. They are also important for the pollination of agricultural crops.

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Head

The head includes the eyes, antannae and mouth parts. Bees have compound eyes which are sensitive to light. Their antennae are used for smell and touch. Bees have a proboscis that is used for sucking up nectar and water.

Thorax

Bees have 3 pairs of jointed legs which all extend from the thorax. The wings are joined to the upper part of the thorax.

Abdomen

The abdomen has 7 segments. Some species have a stinger.

Metallic green carpenter bee with a shiny turquoise back and grey-blue wings. Metallic green carpenter bees make their home inside the dry flower spikes of grass trees and in soft dead trunks of banksias.

More invertebrate fact sheets

Invertebrate fact sheets – overview
Arachnids fact sheet – spiders and other eight-legged arthropods that often prey on insects.
Crustaceans fact sheet – pill bugs and other crustaceans, another major arthropod group.
Myriapods fact sheet – centipedes and millipedes that share soil and log habitats.

Habitats and ecosystems

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Insects fact sheet

What are Insects?

Fast facts – Insects