FlexiTREE
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Minibeasts
A branching database to identify minibeasts
Mary Rebelo
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Does it have legs ?
&Yes
&No
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Does it have wings ?
&Yes
&No
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Does it have yellow and black stripes ?
&Yes
&No
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Bees
Bees feed on pollen and nectar.This is then turned into honey for the larvae.Different bees have different jobs.  Drones are males whose only job is to mate with the Queen. Then they die.  The Queen lays eggs and the workers, who are undeveloped  females, find  food and look after the young.

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Does it have wings with patterns on ?
&Yes
&No
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Does it have a hairy body ?
&Yes
&No
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Moths
A moth is an insect with large wings. A moth begins its life as a caterpillar, and only changes into a moth later. Moths are found all over the world. Moths fly mostly in the evening or at night.

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Butterflies
Butterflies live almost everywhere in the world. Tropical rainforests have the most kinds of butterflies. Other kinds of butterflies live in fields and woodlands. Some butterflies live on cold mountaintops, and others live in hot deserts. Many butterflies travel great distances to spend the winter in a warm climate.

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Does it have a long thin body ?
&Yes
&No
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Dragonflies
Dragonflies and damsel flies live near water.Their nymphs live in the water.They are predators and eat small insects, even tadpoles and small fish!

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Does it have a thin tube at the front of its head ?
&Yes
&No
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Mosquitoes
Mosquitoes are blood sucking flies.Some mosquitoes carry the fatal malaria disease.They are not thought to be harmful in England.

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Does it have a hard casing on its body ?
&Yes
&No
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Beetles
There are more species of beetle than there are of plants or any other animals.They have hard wing cases and their bodies are divided into three sections; head, thorax and abdomen.

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Flies
There are many species of fly.The larvae is known as a maggot.Flies have one pair of wings, and a second very small pair called halteres, to help them balance.

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Does it have more than 6 legs ?
&Yes
&No
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Does it have more than 13 segments ?
&Yes
&No
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Does it have two pairs of legs on each segment ?
&Yes
&No
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Millipedes
There are about 8,000 different species of millipede.They live in the soil and feed mainly on rotting plants.Some can curl into balls!Millipedes have two pairs of legs on each segment but most have about a hundred legs (despite their name meaning “thousand legs!)

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Centipedes
Centipedes are fast hunters. They come out at night and feed on animals such as slugs, woodlice and earwigs.They kill their prey with poison.Giant centipedes over 30cm long live in rainforests.

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Does it have 8 legs ?
&Yes
&No
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Spiders
Spiders are very useful arachnids.They are not insects because they have 8 legs.They eat flies and other insect pests.Some spiders can be deadly!

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Caterpillars
Caterpillars are the young of butterflies and moths.Caterpillars feed on leaves.When the caterpillar is fully grown it becomes a pupa.

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Does it have a pair of pincers on its abdomen ?
&Yes
&No
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Earwigs
Earwigs eat small flies or plants.The pincers on their abdomen are for grasping their prey and defending themselves.

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Ladybirds
Ladybirds are small beetles.There are different species which have different numbers of spots.The 13 spot ladybird is thought to be extinct.

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Does it have a shell ?
&Yes
&No
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Snails
Snails live in damp places, among plants and under stones.They are molluscs.In very dry weather snails pull their bodies inside their shells and the slimy mucus forms a plug.

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Does it have a segmented body ?
&Yes
&No
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Worms
Earthworms live in soil all over the world.Some grow to over 3m long!They have segmented bodies with bristles to help grip the soil.Earthworms eat rotting matter and soil.

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Slugs
Slugs are small slow animals with soft bodies. Slugs are in a group of animals called molluscs. They have no bones and no legs. Slugs slither along on one big foot.

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