At first Aristotle tried to name and classify organisms based on structural similarities, and described ~520 species of animals. He believed that a name should reflect hidden reality or essence, and used phrases or single words.
Carolus Linnaeus developed and published the first comprehensive and consistent classification system for both plants and animals. He classified ~10,000 animals of which 2100 insect species in his book 'Systema Naturae (1758)'.
M. Cooper Yes indeed. Although insects can be pests and parasites, in an overpopulated world they may also become an important source of protein.
A partial answer:
https://articles.extension.org/pages/73010/why-is-insect-identification-important
When I was a child I used to spend a lot of time at the creek running past the property on which I lived. The area had a very high mosquito count and therefore the municipality would routinely use a chemical spray to alleviate the problem. It always upset me that after a spraying the bodies of millions of insects from many different species, almost all of them harmless and many of them beneficial, would float down the stream. Paying heed to the differences between species would've been an important step in developing insecticides that would spare the harmless and beneficial insects.
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Zoology
- Invertebrate Zoology
- Arthropods
- Insects