Università Roma Tre

PART 1) BASIC AND APPLIED ENTOMOLOGY. ARTHROPOD PHYLOGENY. ORIGIN, CAUSES AND SIGNIFICANCE OF THE INSECT SUCCESS AND DIVERSITY. INTEGUMENT; STRUCTURE OF THE INTEGUMENT AND CUTICLE; COLORS. BODY REGIONS; SCLERITES; SEGMENTS, APPENDICES AND WINGS. MUSCULATURE AND ENDOSCHELETON; ADAPTATION TO THE MOVEMENT IN AERIAL AND ACQUATIC ENVIROMENTS. RESPIRATORY APPARATUS AND RESPIRATION; RESPIRATION IN WATER. EXCRETION. CEPHALIC APPENDAGES AND MOUTHPARTS; ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM; FEEDING STRATEGIES. CIRCULATORY SYSTEM AND BLOOD. REPRODUCTION: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONAL MORPHOLOGY OF SEGMENTS AND GENITAL TRAITS; REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIORS; EGGS; SPERMS. EMBRYONIC AND POSTEMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT. ENDOCRINE SYSTEM: HORMONS AND ENDOCRIN ORGANS. HEXOCRIN GLANDS. NERVOUS SYSTEM AND SENSE ORGANS. SIMPLE AND COMPOUND EYES. PRODUCTION OF LIGHT AND SOUNDS. CRIPTISM AND MIMICRY. PHEROMONS AND COURTSHIP; PARENTAL CARES; INSECT SOCIETIES. PREDATION; PARASITISM; SYMBIOSIS. ORIENTATION; MIGRATIONS; DISPERSION. INSECT BIOGEOGRAPHY. INSECT CONSERVATION.
PART 2) INSECT PHYLOGENY. CLASSIFICATION: DIAGNOSTIC CHARACTERS AT ORDER AND MAIN FAMILY LEVEL (ESPECIALLY TO THOSE PRESENT IN ITALY). METHODS OF STUDY, COLLECTION, PREPARATION AND PRESERVATION.
THE SECOND PART OF THE COURSE INCLUDES, DURING THE LESSONS PERIOD, FOUR LABORATORY PRACTICES (EACH OF CA. TWO HOURS) AND TWO DAILY FIELD PRACTICE (ONE IN THE MIDDLE AND ONE AT THE END OF THE COURSE). LAB PRACTICAL ACTIVITIES CONCERN THE EXAMINATION OF SLIDES AND PRESERVED SPECIMENS BELONGING TO THE MAIN ORDERS AND FAMILIES; SOME ANATOMICAL DISSECTIONS WILL BE ALSO PERFORMED. THE FIELD EXPERIENCE IS AIMED TO SHOW SPECIES DIVERSITY AND ECOLOGICAL ASSEMBLAGES OF BOTH TERRESTRIAL AND WATER INSECTS, SHOWING THE MOST COMMON METHODS OF SAMPLING.

P.J. GULLAN & P.S. CRANSTON “LINEAMENTI DI ENTOMOLOGIA” ZANICHELLI
or
R.G. DAVIES “LINEAMENTI DI ENTOMOLOGIA” ZANICHELLI

OTHER TEXTBOOKS (THE CHOICE HAS TO BE DISCUSSED WITH THE PROFESSOR):
G. GRANDI “ISTITUZIONI DI ENTOMOLOGIA GENERALE” EDIZIONI CALDERINI
V.B. WIGGLESWORTH “LA VITA DEGLI INSETTI” GARZANTI
R.F. CHAPMAN “THE INSECTS: STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION” HODDER & STOUGHTON, LONDON
C. GILLOT “ENTOMOLOGY” PLENUM PRESS, NEW YORK
O.W. RICHARDS & R.G. DAVIES “IMM’S GENERAL TEXTBOOK OF ENTOMOLOGY” CHAPMAN & HALL, LONDON VOL. I AND II
GENERAL INSECT GUIDES (STUDENT CHOICE) ARE RECOMMENDED FOR BOTH LAB AND FIELD ACTIVITIES AS WELL AS FOR THE STUDY OF THE SYSTEMATIC PART OF THE COURSE.

1) Introduction: aim of the course; entomology in the history of Zoology and more generally in the history of science; role of entomology in modern biological disciplines; basic and applied entomology; relationships of insects with man and the environment.
2) Generalities on Arthropods; phylogenesis problems of Arthropods; insects in the evolution of terrestrial Arthropods; general information on the Atelocerata, and in particular on the Hexapods; outline of paleontology of insects; insect origin; significance of the evolutionary success of insects.
3) Insects as land animals; exoskeleton; structure of the integument and cuticle; chemical and physical colors. External anatomy: regions of the body; sclerites; primary and secondary segmentation; appendices and wings.
4) Movement: musculature and endoskeleton; the race; the jump; origin and mechanics of flight; adaptations to aquatic life and importance of surface forces, swimming; the excavation; raptorial and phoretic limbs.
5) Breathing; breathing in the aquatic environment; water reabsorption; excretion; adaptations to temperature changes.
6) Nutrition: cephalic appendages and mouthparts; anatomy and physiology of the digestive system; food strategies.
7) Circulatory system.
8) Reproduction: structure and functional morphology of the segments and genital appendages; reproductive systems and reproductive behaviors; parthenogenesis; pedogenesis; polyembryony; meaning of heterogony; eggs; sperm.
9) Embryonic and postembryonic development: growth and metamorphosis; types of larvae and types of metamorphosis; diapause; physiology; endocrine glands.
10) Communication in insects. Nervous system: components and functioning. Endocrine system: hormones and endocrine organs. Exocrine glands. Perception of the environment. Compound eyes. Vision. Ocelli. Mechanoreceptors. Coloration. Light production. Mechanical communication: production of sound and vibrations of the substrate. Chemical communication: pheromones and secretions of interspecific significance.
11) Intraspecific relationships; parental care; society; interspecific relationships; predation; parasitism.
12) Orientation; migrations; dispersion.
13) Aspects of applied entomology: medical entomology, agricultural entomology, entomology in environmental assessment, insect conservation, urban entomology, veterinary entomology, entomology applied to conservation of cultural heritage.

P.J. Gullan & P.S. Cranston “Lineamenti di Entomologia” Zanichelli
R.G. Davies “Lineamenti di Entomologia” Zanichelli

G. Grimaldi “Evolution of the Insects”
R.F. Chapman “The Insects: structure and function” Hodder & Stoughton, London
C. Gillot “Entomology” Plenum Press, New York
O.W. Richards & R.G. Davies “Imm’s general textbook of entomology” Chapman & Hall, London Vol. I e II
M. Chinery “Guida agli insetti d’Europa” Muzzio

Office Hours: every day of the week by appointment by email (andrea.digiulio@uniroma3.it)