DEFINITION: a contagious disease, the most common form of plague, caused by a bacterium (Yersinia pestis ) transmitted by fleas from infected rats, and characterized by buboes, fever, prostration, and delirium. Black Death a deadly disease, probably bubonic plague, which devastated Europe and Asia in the 14th cent. 1337: Hundred Years’ War begins. Two basic [...]

CLASSIFICATION Insects belong to the phylum Arthropoda, one of the chief divisions of the animal kingdom. The name comes from two Greek words, arthron (“joint”) and podos (“foot”), and refers to the jointed feet. Arthropods also include spiders, lobsters, centipedes, and other animals. In this phylum, insects belong to the class Insecta. Each insect has [...]