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Kerbtier - Beetle glossary Category: Animals and Nature > Beetles Date & country: 24/11/2013, DE Words: 317

plesiomorphy
a character state that is present in both outgroups and in the ancestors

phytophilous
fond of plants

phytophagous
eating plants

phylogeny
the evolutionary relationship between organisms. The phylogeny of an organism reflects the evolutionary branch that led up to the organism.

phyllophagous
feeding upon leaf tissue

photophobic
intolerant of, or avoiding, conditions of full light

phoront
animal living in a form of symbiosis where it is mechanically carried about by its host

pholeophilous
preferring darkness or shade

phoresis
(also phoresy) a form of symbiosis when the symbiont, the phoront, is mechanically carried about by its host. Neither is physiologically dependent on the other.

pheromone
a chemical used in the communication between individuals of the same species (used e.g. for aggregation, alarm, courtship, sex attraction, trailmarking)

petricolous
inhabiting rocks

pelophilous
thriving of creatures in habitats rich in clay

parthenogensis
a form of reproduction in which eggs develop normally without being fertilised

paratype
any additional specimen listed in the type series, where the original description designated a holotype

parasitoid
an organism that lives at the expense of another an finally killing its host

parasite
an organism that lives at the expense of another usually without killig ist host

parapatric
referring to organisms whose ranges do not significantly overlap but are immediately adjacent to each other

paludicolous
living in marshy habitats

palpus
a feeler; especially, one of the jointed sense organs attached to the mouth organs of insects

Palaetropic
area of the tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World, including almost the whole of Africa, India and Southeast Asia

Palaearctic
ecozone including Eurasia and North Africa

ovipositor
the organ used for laying eggs

ovary
female sexual gland in which the ova, or eggs, are formed

orthognathous
mouthparts are directed downwards from the head from the insect's normal position

oogenesis
process of formation of the egg (ovum, pl. ova), the female gamete

omnivorous
a general feeder upon animal or vegetable food, or both

ommatidium
one of the single eyes forming the compound eyes of crustaceans, insects, and other invertebrates

oligophagous
feeding on a restricted range of food substances, especially a limited number of plants

ocellus
simple eye consisting of a simple beadlike lens

obligate
refers to an organism that is restricted to a particular set of environmental conditions or behaviour, without which it cannot survive

nymph
the intermediate growing stage in the life cycle of arthropods with an incomplete metamorphosis, usually having much the same morphological appearance as the adult

nomenclature
a system of names, or naming of species of animals and plants scientifically

nocturnal
active at night

nidicolous
sharing the nest of another species of animal

nival
climate zone above 3000 m, alpine desert, permafrost and above snow line

neotype
a specimen later selected to serve as the single type specimen when an original holotype has been lost or destroyed, or where the original author never cited a specimen

Neotropic
ecozone including Central and South America

necrophagous
eating dead and decaying animals

nectarivorous
feeding on nectar

Nearctic
ecozone including most of North America

myrmecophilous
ant-loving: applied to insects that live in ant nests

mycetophagous
feeding on fungi

multivoltine
producing several broods in a single season

muscicolous
living in moss or hepatics

morphology
the branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of organisms without consideration of function

montane
800 - 1600 m, rye and wheat crop limit

monophagous
eating only one kind of food (usually plants)

mono
a prefix meaning one, single, alone

molluscophagous
feeding on molluscs, e.g. snails, bivalves

mine
feeding tunnel formed by larvae in plant tissue, e.g. leafs, stems or fruits

mimicry
resemblance to a harmful or impalatable species

mimesis
resemblance to an inedible object in the environment

microsculpture
fine texture of the cuticula, e.g. transverse linear, isodiametric cellular, etc.

microcavernicolous
living in small cavities, like burrows and warrens

metathorax
third and last segment of the thorax

metapopulation
a population perceived to exist as a series of subpopulations, linked by migration between them. However, the rate of migration is limited, such that the dynamics of the metapopulation should be seen as the sum of the dynamics of the individual subpopulations.

metamorphosis
change in the body form larval stage to adult

meta
a prefix meaning hind, rear

mesothorax
the second segment of the thorax

mesophilic
regarding temperature and humidity the medium conditions are preferred, avoids extremes

meso
a prefix meaning middle or intermediate

mentum
chin, the front median plate of the labium in insects

medial
towards the middle

maxilla
second (lower) pair of jaws

marginal
of, relating to, located at, or constituting a margin, a border, or an edge

mandible
the jaws, jaw-like in biting and chewing insects

locus typicus
type locality, place where a type was found

macropterous
long or large winged

littoral
of or pertaining to the shore of a lake, sea, or ocean

limnophilous
living in ponds or marshes

lithophilous
thriving in stony or rocky habitats

leg.
(lat. legit, has collected) found/caught by

lignicolous
growing or living on or in wood

lateral
concerning the sides

lectotype
single specimen selected from among the syntypes to serve as the only name-bearing type specimen

larva coarctata
a false pupa: applied to the fifth stage, or coarctate pupa, of those insects which undergo hypermetamorphosis. Also called semipupa.

larva
a stage of insect complete metamorphosis between the egg and pupal stages. The feeding, growing, nonreproductive stage of insect development

labium
lower lip

labrum
upper lip

juvenile
not fully grown or developed, young

isomerous
with parts that are similar or identical in number, referrring to the number of tarsi of the legs

invasive species
non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade

intraspecific
arising or occurring within a species

interspecific
arising or occurring between species

indet.
indeterminate, indeterminable

intersegmental membrane
membrane between two sclerites of the body

in litt.
lat. in litteris, in correspondence, communicated in writing, used for an unpublished source

imago
the adult insect

immature
not mature, unripe, not arrived at perfection of full development

hypognathous
mouthparts are directed downwards and backwards from the head from the insect's normal position

hypogaeic
living primarily underground

hypermetamorphose
a type of life history in which the larvae adopts 2 or more distinct forms during its development

hygrophilous
moisture loving

hydrophilic
having an affinity for water, living in water

hybrid
the progeny from the mating of two species

humicolous
living in humus

hyaline
glassy or transparent

host
the organism in or on which a parasite lives; the plant on which an insect or other arthropod feeds

holotype
a single specimen selected by the author of a species as its type, or the only specimen known at the time of description

holometabolous
having a complete metamorphosis, with larval and pupal stages in the life history