有翅亚纲亚纲

翅膀的结构和发展

昆虫的翅膀是非常薄的、被气管贯穿的甲壳质。它们可能是由所有三个胸环的边片变平演变出来的。现今的昆虫只有两对翅膀，分别位于胸环的第二和第三环上。在古昆虫Stenodictya（属于古网翅目）的化石中还可以看得到位于第一胸环上的翅膀似的结构。

为翅膀提供氧气的气管是从足气管分离出来的。由于翅膀是从体壁上复制产生的，因此这两个结构中的气管网也相同。翅膀与胸环通过关节相连。蜻蛉目动物的肌肉直接控制这个关节。大多数昆虫的翅膀则是通过胸环的鼓胀和收缩来运动的。运动翅膀的肌肉附着在胸环上通过形成甲壳质基础，这也是有翅亚纲动物新的结构。

发育

有翅亚纲昆虫的一个特征是它们的变态，它们的幼虫时期没有翅膀。有些昆虫通过脱皮逐渐变态（不完全变态），有些则通过蛹的阶段完全变态。

Pterygota ( terrə-GOH-tə Ancient Greek: πτερυγωτός, romanized: pterugōtós, lit. 'winged') is a subclass of insects that includes all winged insects and groups which lost them secondarily.

Pterygota group comprises 99.9% of all insects. The orders not included are the Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) and the Zygentoma (silverfishes and firebrats), two primitively wingless insect orders. Unlike Archaeognatha and Zygentoma, the pterygotes do not have styli or vesicles on their abdomen (also absent in some zygentomans), and with the exception of the majority of mayflies, are also missing the median terminal filament which is present in the ancestrally wingless insects.

The oldest known representatives of the group appeared during the mid-Carboniferous, around 328–324 million years ago, and the group subsequently underwent rapid diversification. Claims that they originated substantially earlier during the Silurian or Devonian based on molecular clock estimates are unlikely based on the fossil record, and are likely analytical artefacts.

Systematics

Traditionally, this group was divided into the infraclasses Paleoptera and Neoptera. The former are nowadays strongly suspected of being paraphyletic, and better treatments (such as dividing or dissolving the group) are presently being discussed. In addition, it is not clear how exactly the neopterans are related among each other. The Exopterygota might be a similar assemblage of rather ancient hemimetabolous insects among the Neoptera like the Palaeoptera are among insects as a whole. The holometabolous Endopterygota seem to be very close relatives, indeed, but nonetheless appear to contain several clades of related orders, the status of which is not agreed upon.

The following scheme uses finer divisions than the one above, which is not well-suited to correctly accommodating the fossil groups.

Classification

• Order Ephemeroptera (mayflies)
• Superorder Palaeodictyopteroidea
• Order Palaeodictyoptera †(extinct)
• Order Megasecoptera †(extinct)
• Order Permothemistida or Dicliptera insects†(extinct)
• Order Diaphanopterodea †(extinct)
• Superorder Odonatoptera
• Order Protodonata or Meganisoptera †(extinct)
• Order Protanisoptera †(extinct)
• Order Triadophlebioptera †(extinct)
• Order Protozygoptera or Archizygoptera †(extinct)
• Order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies)
• Infraclass Neoptera
• Polyneoptera
• Order Caloneurodea †(extinct)
• Order Glosselytrodea †(extinct)
• Order Titanoptera †(extinct)
• Order Protorthoptera †(extinct)
• Order Plecoptera (stoneflies)
• Order Embioptera (webspinners)
• Order Zoraptera (angel insects)
• Order Dermaptera (earwigs)
• Order Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc.)
• Order Phasmatodea (stick insects)
• Clade Notoptera
• Order Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers)
• Order Mantophasmatodea (gladiators)
• Superorder Dictyoptera
• Order Blattodea (cockroaches and termites)
• Order Mantodea (mantises)
• Order Alienoptera †(extinct)
• Eumetabola
• Order Miomoptera †(extinct)
• Paraneoptera
• Order Psocodea (booklice, barklice, lice)
• Superorder Condylognatha
• Order Thysanoptera (thrips)
• Order Hemiptera (true bugs)
• Endopterygota
• Superorder Hymenopterida
• Order Hymenoptera (ants, bees, etc.)
• Aparaglossata
• Neuropteroidea
• Superorder Neuropterida
• Order Raphidioptera (snakeflies)
• Order Megaloptera (alderflies, etc.)
• Order Neuroptera (net-veined insects)
• Superorder Coleopterida
• Order Coleoptera (beetles)
• Order Strepsiptera (twisted-winged parasites)
• Superorder Panorpida
• Antliophora
• Mecopteroidea
• Order Mecoptera (scorpionflies, etc.)
• Order Siphonaptera (fleas)
• Order Diptera (true flies)
• Order Protodiptera †(extinct)
• Amphiesmenoptera
• Order Trichoptera (caddisflies)
• Order Lepidoptera (butterflies, moths)