Glossary

A

aedeagus: the part of the male genatalia that is inserted into the female during copulation and secretes the sperm

alate: winged

apical: at the tip of a structure

apterous: lacking wings

arborescent: having the size, form, or characteristics of a tree; tree-like

B

basal: at the base of a structure

bipectinate: feathery, with branches coming out of both sides of the main axis (generally applied to antennae)

C

carina: a ridge or keel

carnivorous: feeding upon other animals

coprophagous: feeding upon fecal matter

D

deflexed: bent or turned downward at a sharp angle

dicot: group of flowering plants with two embryonic leaves, or cotyledons, in the seed

E

elytra: the tough, hardened forewings of beetles (singular elytron; see also hemelytra)

eusocial: a species that lives in a society where all individual cooperate in caring for the young, which not all of them have produced; the bulk of the colony is usually made up of sterile individuals that work to support the reproductive individuals

F

filiform: threadlike, slender, and of nearly equal diameter throughout, with all segments of nearly equal size

frass: the mixture of plant and fecal material left behind by many phytophagous insects

G

glabrous: without hairs

H

haploid: a cell or organism having half the number of a typical somatic cell's chromosomes

hemelytra: the partially leathery (base), partially membranous (tip) forewings typical of many Hemiptera

hemimetabolous: with simple metamorphosis from egg to nymph stages to adult, lacking a true pupal stage (usually just a series of molts)

holometabolous: with complete metamorphosis, including egg, larval, pupal, and adult phases

honeydew: the sticky, sweet secretion produced by sap-feeding bugs

hyaline: glassy and translucent

I

imago: the adult stage of an insect

instar: stage in an insect's life history between any two molts. The newly hatched insect is the first instar, and the adult (imago) is the final instar.

M

moniliform: having a form resembling a string of beads, where the segments are are uniform in size and are spherical or rounded in shape

monocot: group of flowering plants having a single cotyledon in the seed, including palms, bananas, grasses, and lilies

monocotyledonous: (of a flowering plant) having a single cotyledon in the seed, as in palms, grasses, and lilies

mycophagous: feeding upon fungal matter

O

ocellus: a simple eye found in some adult insects that consists of a single, bead-like lens

P

palmate: fan-leaved

parasitic: living in close association with another species (host), feeding upon it while providing no benefit

parthenogenesis: the production of offspring without mating - eggs develop normally without being fertilized

phylogenetic: relating to or based on evolutionary history

phytophagous: feeding upon plant matter

pinnate: feather-leaved

prognathous: with a more or less horizontal head with mouthparts at the front

proleg: an unsegmented, fleshy, stumpy appendage found on the abdomen of some larvae used for walking

pronotum: the dorsal surface of the first thoracic segment

pygidium: the dorsal portion of the last abdominal segment

R

reticulate: net-like

S

saprophagous: feeding upon dead or decaying plant or animal tissue

scutellum: the third of the major divisions of the dorsal surface of a thoracic segment; usually obvious only in the mesothorax and very large in some bugs

seta: bristle

stigma: an area of dark-colored scent scales located near the center of the forewing of some male Lepidoptera; useful in producting pheromones to attract females

T

tarsi: the portion of insect legs distal to the tibia (singular tarsus)

tarsomeres: the segments of the tarsi

U

urticating: stinging