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Insect Glossary
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Abdomen | 3rd major division of insect body |
| Acalypterae | Flies with small or no squamae or calypters and no groove in the second antennal segment |
| Accessory gland | A gland opening into the genital chamber |
| Adenotrophic viviparity | Production of live offspring, where eggs are retained within the female oviduct until the larvae are mature at which stage they are laid and immediately pupate |
| Aedeagus | the male copulatory organ |
| Alate | Possessing wings |
| Ametabolous | Lacking metamorphosis; immature stages lacking only genitalia |
| Anal fold | A distinctive fold in the anal area of the wing |
| Anautogenous | Requiring an inital protein meal to initiate vitellogenesis and mature eggs |
| Anemotaxis | Upwind orientation of movement in response to wind direction |
| Antenna | A paired segmented sensory organ which protrudes antero-dorsally from the headnear the eyes. |
| Anterior | Located towards the front (head end) of an animal |
| Anus | The posterior opening of the digestive tract, at the opposite end to the mouth, from which waste products are expelled from the body. |
| Apical | At or towards the apex |
| Apodeme | An ingrowth of the exoskeleton to which muscles attached |
| Apolysis | The separation of the old from the new cuticle during moulting |
| Apterous | Without wings, used to describe primitive wingless insects |
| Arista | Part of the antenna of cyclorrhaphous flies which protudes from the third antennal segment |
| Arthropod | An animal in the phylum Arthropoda, characterised by the presence of a segmented body, an exoskeleton, jointed limbs, tagmatization, a dorsal blood vessel, a haemocoel and a ventral nerve cord. |
| Autogenous | Able to mature eggs as an adult without an initial protein meal |
| Calypter | membranous flap at the base of wings of Diptera (also known as squamae) |
| Calypterae | flies with large squamae or calpters and a groove in the second antennal segment |
| Caudal | At or towards the anal end of an animal |
| Cell | An area of of the wing membrane of an insect partially or completely surrounded by veins |
| Cerci | A pair of appendages originating from abdominal segment 11 |
| Chitin | major component of arthropod cuticle, a polysaccharide composed of acetyl-glucosamine and glucosamine sub-units |
| Choriogenesis | Production of the eggshell and its associated membranes (the chorion) |
| Class | The taxonomic ranking between phylum and order (eg Insecta) |
| Clypeus | Part of the insect head below the frons to which the labrium is attached anteriorly |
| Compound eye | An aggregation of ommatidia each acting as a single facet of the eye |
| Coprophagous | Feeding on dung or excretement |
| Cornea | Cuticle covering the eye or ocellus |
| Costa | The most anterior longitudinal wing vein |
| Coxa | The basal (first) leg segment |
| Crop | Food storage area of digestive system, posterior to the oesophagus |
| Cross veins | Transverse wing veins linking longitudinal veins |
| Cuticle | The external structure secreted by the epidermis, composed of chitin and protein |
| Cyclorrapha | A sub-order of the dipterous flies, characterised by the larva forming puparium from the last larval skin inside which pupation occurs. They also have an antenna composed of three segments, the third of which bears a protruding arista. |
| Diapause | Delayed development controlled by environmental conditions |
| Dichoptic | The condition in which there is a wide gap between the eyes; typical of female Diptera |
| Diptera | Order of insects possessing only a single pair of functional wings and a pair of halteres |
| Distal | At or near the furthest end from the attachment of the appendage |
| Dorsal | Upper surface, the side of the body opposite from where the legs prject |
| Dorsal vessel | A longitudinal tube which act as the main pump for haemolymph |
| Ecdysis | Process of casting off cuticle in the final stage of moulting |
| Eclosion | Hatch from the egg |
| Ectoparasite | A parasite that lives externally on its host |
| Endemic | Native or restricted to a particular geographic area. |
| Endocuticle | The flexible, unsclerotinized inner layer of the procuticle |
| Endopterygota | Winged insects which have complete metamorphosis, the wings developing only within the pupa |
| Epicuticle | The inextensible outermost layer of cuticle |
| Epidermis | In arthropods the epidermis is the inner living layer of the integument whichproduces the cuticle |
| Epimorphic | Charcterised by incomplete metamorphosis; having the same number of body segments in successive stages |
| Exocuticle | The rigid sclerotized outer layer of the procuticle |
| Exopterygota | Winged insects which have an incomplete metamorphosis, the wings developing externally in the immature stages and becoming fully functional in the adults. |
| Exoskeleton | The outer body layer, also known as the integument or cuticle |
| Facet | Outer layer of the ommatidia that compose the compound eyes of arthropods |
| Family | Taxonomic ranking between order and genus |
| Femur | In Diptera: the segment of the leg between the trochanter and tibia or, if the trochanter is fused with the femur, between the coxa and tibia. In Arcari: the segment between trochanter and genu or crenellations in the posterior body of some genera of tick |
| Fore | Anterior, towards the head |
| Foregut | The part of the gut lying between the mouth and the midgut |
| Frons | The front (medio-anterior) part of insect head |
| Gena | An area at the side of the head of insects |
| Genitalia | Ectodermally derived structures of both sexes associated with reproduction |
| Genus | Taxonomic ranking between family and species |
| Haemocoel | THe main body cavity of arthropods |
| Haemoglobin | An iron-containing protein present within red blood cells which carries oxygen around the body |
| Haemolymph | The fluid filling the haemocoel |
| Haltere | Club-shaped, reduced hindwings of Diptera, used as sensory aid for balance during flight |
| Head | Anterior of 3 main body divisions |
| Hemimetabolous | Developmental pathway of insects showing gradual change from moult to moult, the jeuvenile stages (nymphs) transforming directly into the adult without a distinct, morphologically-distinct pupal stage, and wing pads developing extrnally |
| Hind | at or towards posterior |
| Hindgut | The posterior section of the gut, extending from midgut to anus |
| Holometabolous | Developmental pathway of insects in which there is complete metamorphosis, the body from the juvenile stages (larvae) changing abruptly at the pupal mode |
| Holoptic | The condition in which there is a narrow gap between the eyes; typical of male Diptera |
| Hypopygium | A part of the external genital apparatus of male flies, known as the penis. |
| Imago | adult insect |
| Insect | Arthropod of the class Insecta |
| Instar | A stage in the life cycle of an arthropod, such as egg, larva, pupa, adult. |
| Integument | The epidermis plus cuticle |
| Juvenile hormone | A hormone released by the corpora allata in to the haemolymph, involved in many aspects of insect physiology, including moulting |
| Kairomone | A chemical used in communication, to the benefit of the receiver and which may be to the disadvantage of the producer |
| Labella | A paired organ (singular labellum), forming lobes at the apex of the proboscisderived from the labial palps. |
| Labial palp | A segmented appendage of the labium |
| Labium | Forming the floor of the mouthparts (a lower lip), often with a pair of palps and two pairs of median lobes. |
| Labrum | Forming the roof of the preoral cavity (upper lip) |
| Lacinia | Mesal lobe of maxillary stipes |
| Larva | An immature insect life-cycle stage which follows eclosion from the egg. Usually applied to insects with complete metamorphosis |
| Larviparous | Reproduction in which the egg hatches within the femail and the larva is deposited. |
| Lateral | At, or close to, the sides. |
| Macrotrichiae | A trichoid sensillum; seta or hair; on the wings of insects, particularly ceratopognoid midges |
| Maggot | A legless, larval insect; usually applied to immature stages of clorrhaphous Diptera. |
| Malpighian tubules | Thin, blind-ending tubule, originating near the junction of the mid-and hindgun, involved in nitrogenous waste excretion and water regulation. |
| Mandible | The jaws in biting and chewing insects. May be a needle-like piercing organ, as in mosquitoes or tooth-like as in chewing lice. |
| Maxilla | The second pair of jaws in chewing insects |
| Maxillary Palp | A segmented sensory appendage on the stipes of the maxilla |
| Mechanical transfer | The movement of pathogens by passive transfer, with no biological vector |
| Medial | Towards the middle |
| Mesothorax | The second segment of the thorax |
| Metamorphosis | The relatively abrupt change in body from between the immature and sexually mature, adult stage. |
| Metathorax | The third segment of the thorax |
| Microtrichiae | Small extensions of the cuticle on the wings of some insects |
| Midgut | The middle section of the gut |
| Moulting | The formation of the new cuticle followed by ecdysis |
| Myiasis | Infestation of the tissues of a living host by fly larvae |
| Necrophagous | Eating dead and'or decaying animal matter |
| Nulliparous | A female that has not yet oviposited |
| Nymph | All immature stages in insects with incomplete metamorphosis |
| Ocelli | The simple eyes of some adult and nymphal arthropods (singular ocellus) |
| Oesophagus | The foregut that lies anterior to the pharynx and anterior to the crop |
| Ommatidium | a single element of the compound eye |
| Order | The taxonomic ranking between class and family (eg Diptera) |
| Ostium | A slit-like opening in the dorsal vessel allowing the one-way movement of haemolymph from the pericardial sinus to the dorsal vessel. |
| Ovariole | Ovarian tubes that form the ovary and in which the egg follicles develop prior to ovulation |
| Ovary | One of the paired gonads of female arthropods, usually composed of a number of ovarioles |
| Ovigerous | An egg producing female mite |
| Oviparous | Reproduction in which eggs are laid |
| Ovipositor | organ used for laying eggs |
| Ovoviviparity | Retention of the developing fertilised egg within the female arthropod; similar to viviparity but with no nutrition of the hatched young |
| Palps | Paired segmented organs associated with the maxilla (maxillary palps) and labium (labial palps); singular palp. |
| Parasite | An organism that lives at the expense of another (host) which it does not kill. |
| Parasitoid | A parasite that kills a host |
| Parous | A female that has laid at least one egg |
| Parthenogenesis | Development from an unfertilised egg |
| Pathogen | A parasite that causes disease |
| Pericardial sinus | The body compartment that comtains the dorsal vessel |
| Peritrophic membrane | A film-like structure composed of chitin and proteins that separates food from midgut tissue, protecting the epithelium from food erosion. |
| Pharate | Cloaked (one stadium remaining within the unecdysed cuticle of the previous stadium; more commonly applied to the pharate adult, which may remain within the pupal cuticle. |
| Pharynx | The anterior part of the foregut, anterior to the oesophagus |
| Pheromone | A chemical used in communication between individuals of the same species |
| Phoresy | The movement of one animal by attachment to another animal |
| Pleuron | The lateral region of the body, bearing the limb bases (plural pleura). |
| Posterior | The body of animal furthest from the head |
| Postcutellum | A projecting posterior area of the thorax of Diptera underneath the scutellum |
| Prestomal teeth | Structures at the end of the labella for some dipterous flies |
| Pretarsus | The last segment of the leg of mites |
| Proboscis | A general term for elongate mouthparts |
| Pronotum | The dorsal plate of the prothorax |
| Prothorax | First segment of thorax |
| Proventriclus | Grinding organ of the foregut |
| Proximal | At or near the end of an appendage |
| Pseudotrachea | Rigid groove on ventral surface of labellum of some higher Diptera |
| Ptilinum | Sac everted from a structure between the antennae of schizophoran Diptera |
| Pupa | The inactive stage between larva and adult in holometabolous insects |
| Pupariation | The process of puparium formation |
| Puparium | The hardened skin of the final stage of higher cyclorrhaphous Diptera in which the pupa forms |
| Pupation | The process of becoming a pupa |
| Quiescent | Temporarily inactive |
| Resilin | Rubber like protien in some insect cuticle, particularly important in jumping mechanism of fleas |
| Retinula cell | Sensory cell of the light receptors, ommatidia or ocella, comprising a rhabdom or rhabdomeres |
| Rhabdom | The central zone of retinula consisting of microvilli filled with visual pigment |
| Rhabdomere | One of typically eight units comprising a rhabdom. |
| Rhinitis | Inflammation of the internal surfaces of the nose |
| Saprophagous | Feeding on decaying organisms |
| Scape | The first segment of the antenna of insects |
| sclerite | a plate on the body wall surrounded by membrane or sutures |
| sclerotinized | cuticle hardened by cross-linkage of protein chains |
| Scutellum | An area of the thorax of dipterous flies at the posterior dorsal margin between the wings |
| Scutum | The sclertized plate on the dorsal surface of ixodid hard ticks, also known as the dorsal shield |
| Seminal vessicle | Male sprem storage organs |
| Semiochemical | Any chemical used in intra and interspecific communication |
| Seta | A long, thin, cuticular extension, produced by an epidermal cell; flexible at the base; may be called a hair; large setae are called bristles |
| Species | A froup of organisms that can interbreed in natural populations producing fully fertile offspring |
| Spine | An unjointed cuticular extension |
| Spiracle | An external opening of the trachael system |
| Squama | Membranous flaps at the base of the wings of Diptera; typically the alula, the altar squama and the thoracic squama (also known as calypters) |
| Stadium | The period between moults |
| Stemma | The simple eye of many larval insects |
| Sternum | The ventral surface of a segment |
| Stipes | The distal part of the maxilla |
| Suture | A groove on the arthopod that may show the fusion of two exoskeletal plates |
| Tagma | The group of segments that form a major body unit (head, thorax, abdomen) |
| Tarsomere | A subdivision of the tarsus |
| Tarsus | The leg segment distal to the tibia, bearing the pretarsus; in insects composed of up to five tarsomeres (plural tarsi) |
| Tegmina | Literally a covering; usually applied to the thickened forewings of grasshoppers, crickets, earwigs, mantids, and cockroaches which are protective in function and not used for flying. |
| Teneral | The condition of a newly emerged, not yet fully mature adult insect |
| Tergum | The dorsal surface of a segment |
| Thorax | The middle of the three major body divisions of insects; composed of the pro-, meso-, and metathorax |
| Tibia | In insects - the fourth leg segment following the femur; in Acari - the fifth leg segment following the genu |
| Tormogen cell | The socket forming epidermal cell associated with a seta |
| Trachea | A tubular element of the has exchange system in insects and some Acari |
| Tracheole | Fine tubules of the gas exchange system in insects and some Acari |
| Transverse | At right angles to the longitudinal axis |
| Trichogen cell | A hair forming epidermal cell associated with a seta |
| Vas deferens | The ducts that carry sperm from the testis |
| Vector | An arthropod that transmits a pathogenic organism |
| Vein | Tubes of cuticle in a network which support the wings of insects. |
| Ventral | Towards or at the lower surface |
| Vitellogenesis | The process by which oocytes grow by yolk deposition |
| Viviparity | Producing live offspring |
| Wax layer | The lipid or waxy layer outside the epicuticle of some arthropods. |
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