Pterygota
/ˈtɛrɪɡəʊtə
/plural noun Entomology
A large group of insects that comprises those that have wings or winged ancestors, including the majority of modern species. Compare with Apterygota.
- Subclass Pterygota, class Insecta (or Hexapoda): many orders.
- It is possible that Pterygota occurred as early as the Upper Devonian, but, again, there is no evidence for this.
Derivatives
pterygote
- Winged insects, or pterygotes, have radiated into over 100 times more species than all of the winged vertebrate lineages combined. They include all of the commonly encountered insects; the most common non-pterygote insect lineage are the Thysanura (silverfish and firebrats).
- While earliest insects were terrestrial, earliest pterygotes had aquatic immatures.
Origin
Modern Latin (plural), from Greek pterugōtos 'winged', from pteron, pterug- 'wing'.