Q. The Organisms “Cicada, Froghopper and Pond Skater” are :

  • Birds
  • Fish
  • Insects
  • Reptiles

Answer: (c) Insects

Notes:
  • Insects are hexapod invertebrates of the class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body, three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and a pair of antennae.
    • Insects have no internal skeleton, instead they are covered in an external shell (exoskeleton) that protects their soft internal organs.
    • No insect has more than three pairs of legs, except for some immature forms such as caterpillars that have prolegs. These are appendages that serve the purpose of legs.
    • The typical insect mouth has a pair of lower jaws (maxillae) and upper jaws (mandibles) which are designed to bite. There are many variations to this structure, as many moths and butterflies have tubular sucking mouthparts, many bugs and other blood-sucking insects have sucking stabbing mouthparts and some adult insects simply don’t have functional mouthparts.
    • Insects have one pair of antennae located on the head
    • Most insects have one or two pairs of wings although some insects such as lice, fleas, bristletails and silverfish are completely wingless.
      • Insects are the only invertebrates (animals without backbones) with wings.
  • Modern insect classification divides the Insecta into 29 orders, many of which have common names. Some of the more common orders are:
    • Mantodea – praying mantids
    • Blattodea – cockroaches
    • Isoptera – termites
    • Siphonaptera – fleas
    • Odonata – dragonflies and damselflies
    • Dermaptera – earwigs
    • Diptera – flies
    • Lepidoptera – butterflies and moths
    • Orthoptera – grasshoppers, katydids, crickets
    • Coleoptera – beetles
    • Hymenoptera – wasps, bees, ants, sawflies
  • All of the Cicada, Froghopper and Pond Skater belong to insects. 
    • The cicadas are a superfamily of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs).
    • The froghoppers, or the superfamily Cercopoidea, are a group of hemipteran insects in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha.
    • Pond Skater are a family of insects in the order Hemiptera.
Types of insects
Cicada:
  • Order: Hemiptera
  • Suborder: Auchenorrhyncha
  • Family: Cicadidae
  • Description: Cicadas are known for their loud, distinctive mating calls produced by males. They have prominent eyes set wide apart, short antennae, and membranous front wings. Cicadas are found worldwide and are particularly abundant in tropical and temperate regions.
  • Lifecycle: Cicadas have a unique lifecycle, with some species (like the periodical cicadas) having very long developmental periods of up to 17 years, mostly spent underground as nymphs.
Froghopper:
  • Order: Hemiptera
  • Suborder: Auchenorrhyncha
  • Family: Cercopidae
  • Description: Froghoppers, also known as spittlebugs, are small insects that are known for their ability to jump long distances, similar to frogs, hence the name. They are called spittlebugs because their nymphs produce frothy masses of spittle on plants for protection.
  • Habitat: Froghoppers are found on a variety of plants and are distributed across many regions of the world.
Pond Skater (Water Strider):
  • Order: Hemiptera
  • Suborder: Heteroptera
  • Family: Gerridae
  • Description: Pond skaters, also known as water striders, are insects that can walk on the surface of water due to the surface tension and their hydrophobic legs. They have long, slender legs that distribute their weight evenly and allow them to move quickly across the water surface.
  • Habitat: Pond skaters are typically found in calm waters such as ponds, lakes, and slow-moving streams.