This glossary is developed to accompany the Insects Lesson Plan. Use it to help with the meanings of some of the more difficult words, and learn new ones, too.
Abdomen
The third part of an insect's body. This is where you would find the internal organs used for digestion, as well as the reproductive organ.
Antennae (antenna, singular)
A pair of slender structures on the tip of an insect's head. They help the insect to navigate and sense things by smell, taste, and touch. Also called "feelers."
Cocoon
A silky covering spun or constructed by many larvae as a protection to the pupae. Caterpillars form a cocoon while making their transformation into a butterfly.
Colony
A group of insects that live together and work together to keep a colony working properly. Ants and bees are two examples of insects that live in colonies.
Elytron
The anterior leathery wings of beetles, serving as coverings to the hind wings, commonly meeting in a straight line down the middle of the body in repose.
Entomology
The branch of zoology that deals with insects. An entomologist studies insects.
Halteres
The hind wings of a fly that reduce to a pair of small knobbed structures. They help a fly maintain balance during flight.
Larvae (larva, singular)
Young insects that look different from their adult counterparts. A caterpillar is a larva of a butterfly.
Maggot
The worm-like larva of a fly.
Mandibles
The first pair of jaws that insects use. They are stout and tooth-like in chewing insects and needle- or sword-shaped in piercing-sucking insects. You will see these on ants in very upclose images.
Metamorphosis
Complete metamorphosis is the ability of an insect to change its form completely from one insect into another. The larvae goes through a pupa stage. The best example of this is the caterpillar having the ability to change into a butterfly. Incomplete metamorphosis occurs when a hatched young insect does not go through a pupa stage, and basically looks like a smaller version of its adult counterpart.
Nectar
A sugary liquid made by plants that attracts insects to it. While an insect is feeding on nectar, it picks up pollen to take with it as it travels from flower to flower. If the pollen is able to reach the female part of a plant, that plant will be able to produce seeds.
Nymph
A young grasshopper or dragonfly.
Pollen
Tiny grains made by the male parts of flowers. Pollen from the male part must reach the female part of the flower, in order to produce seeds.
Proboscis
Mouthparts used for sucking food, such as nectar from flowers. An example of this would be the long mouthpart of a butterfly.
Pupa
This is the stage of life of some insects when they change from larvae to adults. Butterflies pass through this pupal stage during their transformation.
Species
A group of insects that are unlike any other insects. They are able to reproduce and have the exact same offspring time and time again. For example, ladybugs will produce more ladybugs, as grasshoppers will produce more grasshoppers, and not some other insect altogether.
Thorax
The second part of an insect's body. It is located between the head and the abdomen. The insect's legs and wings are attached to the thorax.
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