Assignment task: The 'Big Five' insect orders are the most species-rich groups alive today.
1. List these five orders. Using what you have learned about these orders list two principle identifying characteristics for each order, and name two commonly encountered families in each order.
2. Using the characters you listed (you may add others if necessary), make a dichotomous key that works for many of the common insects belonging to each order.
3. These orders are diverse, so not all insects in each order will be correctly identified using this key. Cite two examples of specific taxa that will NOT be identifiable to order in your key and explain why.
4. Compare your simplified key to these five orders to the Key to Hexapod orders in the textbook (T&J 2005). Other than the fact that this key incorporates all of the insect orders, what two major differences can you identify between these keys? Explain if these differences make one key better/worse or simply easier/harder to use.