Which insect has order Lepidoptera and sucking mouthparts?

Which insect has order Lepidoptera and sucking mouthparts?

• A. Water Strider
• B. White-Lined Sphinx Moth
• C. Western Corn Rootworm
• D. Yellowjacket

Answer: (B)

Identifying insects by order and mouthpart type helps you connect what you see to how they feed. Lepidoptera, the group of moths and butterflies, have mouthparts adapted into a long sucking or siphoning proboscis used to sip nectar. The White-Lined Sphinx Moth is a hawk moth in this order and is well known for its strong, elongated proboscis that it uses to feed on nectar from flowers, making it a prime example of Lepidoptera with sucking mouthparts. The other insects listed come from different orders and have different feeding adaptations: water striders are Hemiptera with piercing-sucking mouthparts, Western corn rootworms are beetles (Coleoptera) with chewing mouthparts, and yellowjackets are Hymenoptera with chewing and sometimes lapping mouthparts, not the Lepidoptera siphoning type.

Identifying insects by order and mouthpart type helps you connect what you see to how they feed. Lepidoptera, the group of moths and butterflies, have mouthparts adapted into a long sucking or siphoning proboscis used to sip nectar. The White-Lined Sphinx Moth is a hawk moth in this order and is well known for its strong, elongated proboscis that it uses to feed on nectar from flowers, making it a prime example of Lepidoptera with sucking mouthparts. The other insects listed come from different orders and have different feeding adaptations: water striders are Hemiptera with piercing-sucking mouthparts, Western corn rootworms are beetles (Coleoptera) with chewing mouthparts, and yellowjackets are Hymenoptera with chewing and sometimes lapping mouthparts, not the Lepidoptera siphoning type.