insect
Let an agent handle insects by species and role, as pollinators, pests, disease vectors, food and wildlife, with the rules that apply to each.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Identification Which insect.
Taxon
Order, family, species.
Taxonomy
The taxonomic identity.
- What order, family and species is this insect? definition
- How was it identified? provenance
Life stage
Egg, larva, pupa, adult.
Life stage
The life stage.
- What life stage is this? definition
- What does it look like at other stages? definition
Role What it does to people and ecosystems.
Ecological role
Pollination, decomposition, predation.
Ecological role
The role in ecosystems.
- What ecological role does this insect play? definition
- Is it native or introduced? provenance
Impact on people
Pest, vector, benefit.
Impact
Effects on people and crops.
- Is it a pest, vector or beneficial here? boundary
- What harm or benefit does it bring? measurement
Management Control and protection.
Pest control
Integrated pest management.
Control plan
Methods and their order.
- Which control methods are appropriate, starting with non-chemical ones? action
- Which products are authorised here? provenance
Protection
Pollinators and rare species.
Protection
Protection measures.
- Is this species protected? boundary
- How can pollinators be protected nearby? action
Health and food Stings, disease and eating.
Health risks
Stings, bites, disease.
Health risks
Health risks and responses.
- What health risks does this insect pose? boundary
- When is urgent care needed after a sting or bite? action
Food and feed
Edible insects.
Food status
Authorisation as food.
- Is this insect authorised as food or feed here? provenance
- What allergy warnings apply? boundary
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Physical world and living systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- PHY
- Domain
- PHY.LIV
- Other names and narrower kinds
- beneficial insect, xylophage, pest insect, insect vector, generalist insect herbivore, specialist insect herbivore, marine insect, aquatic insects, freshwater insect, Trigona crassipes, Chrysomya marginalis, Red-breasted carrion beetle
What it is Filled
An arthropod of the class Insecta, with a body in three parts (head, thorax, abdomen), three pairs of legs, usually two pairs of wings and a pair of antennae.
Why it exists Filled
Let an agent handle insects by species and role, as pollinators, pests, disease vectors, food and wildlife, with the rules that apply to each.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Six legs and three body segments
- The most species-rich animal class
- Often with metamorphosis: egg, larva, pupa, adult
- Roles to people range from essential to harmful
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Apply insecticides beyond the label, near water or on flowering crops in ways that harm pollinators.
- Release non-native or modified insects without authorization.
- Give medical advice for a sting reaction instead of directing to emergency care when it is severe.
- Collect or trade protected species.
Only with a human decision
- Large-scale pest or vector control campaigns.
May
- Identify insects and report whether a species is a pest, vector or protected.
- Report pest or vector findings to the authority responsible for plant or public health.
Moral aspects Filled
- Insects pollinate crops and sustain ecosystems, and many are in decline.
- Insect-borne disease kills many people, mostly in poor regions.
Who is affected
- People at risk from vector-borne disease
- Farmers
- Ecosystems that depend on insects
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns wild insects; plant and public health authorities regulate pests and vectors.
Master systems
- Biodiversity and species occurrence databases
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q1360 - registry parent class
related
- animal - class Insecta
- plant - pollination services
- infectious disease - insect vectors such as mosquitoes
- pest management - integrated pest management
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.insect
- Wikidata: Q1390 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1390)
- scientific name: binomial species name under ICZN
- GBIF taxon key: numeric occurrence data
Direct properties required Filled
- body length: 0.1-300 mm - fairyflies to stick insects
- described species: about 1 million species - many more undescribed
Recognition required Filled
- Six legs and three body parts separate insects from spiders and other arthropods
- Wings and mouthparts indicate the order
- Species identification often needs magnification or experts
- Small bodies with six legs and antennae, often wings; forms range from beetles and butterflies to ants and flies; larvae look very different from adults.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- identify them, by morphology or DNA
- control pests, with integrated pest management
- protect pollinators and rare species
- farm them, for food, feed or silk
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue
- Crop losses from pests
- Stings and allergic reactions
- Pollinator decline
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) on plant pests
- Pesticide regulations
- EU novel food rules for edible insects
- Protected species law
Context of use required Filled
- Insects are organisms; they pollinate crops, recycle nutrients, feed other animals, and some damage crops or spread disease.
- by role: pollinator, pest, vector, beneficial, food
- major orders: beetles, flies, butterflies and moths, bees, wasps and ants, true bugs
- by feeding: herbivores, predators, xylophages, parasitoids
- marine and aquatic insects
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q1390: insect - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Insect - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should insect orders be registered as child entries?
- How should roles such as pest or beneficial, which depend on context, be recorded?
- How should agents advise on pest control without recommending unsafe chemical use?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q1390/spec.json