Wing adaptations and modifications

a) Elytra:

• hard, sclerotized front wings that serve as protective covers for membranous hind wings.
• Eg: Coleoptera and Dermaptera

b) Hemelytra:

• front wings that are leathery or parchment-like at the base and membranous near the tip.
• Eg: Hemiptera: Heteroptera ( true bugs)

c) Tegmina:

• front wings that are completely leathery or parchment-like in texture.
• Eg: Orthoptera, Blattodea, and Mantodea.

d) Halteres :

• small, club-like hind wings that serve as gyroscopic stabilizers during flight.
• Eg: Diptera

e) Fringed wings:

• slender front and hind wings with long fringes of hair.
• Eg: Thysanoptera

f) Membranous:

• Both fore- and hind wings are thin, firm and more or less transparent.
• Example: Odonata (dragonflies)

g) Scaly wings :

• front and hind wings covered with flattened setae (scales)
• Eg: Lepidoptera

h) Hamuli:

• tiny hooks on hind wing that hold front and hind wings together.
• Eg: Hymenoptera

I) Stigma:

• Thickened opaque spot along the costal margin of equal sized, net veined, membranous wings.
• Example: dragonflies and damselflies