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

holomediterranean
the entire Mediterranean region

holarctic
ecozone referring to North America, Europe, Northern Africa and Eurasia

heteromerous
with the parts not corresponding in number, referrring to the number of tarsi of the legs

hemolymph
the bloodlike fluid of invertebrates having open blood-vascular systems

heliophilic
attraction or adaptation to sunlight

hemimetabolous
having an incomplete metamorphosis, with no pupal stage in the life history

halotolerant
adapted to conditions of high salinity without being dependent of them

halophilic
species living in salt marshes, or near the sea

halobiont
an organism that lives or grows in a salty environment

habitus
body-build, general appearance

habitat
the region or place which an insect inhabits or where it was taken

gynandromorph
an organism that contains both male and female characteristics. A gynandromorph can have bilateral asymmetry, one side female and one side male, or they can be mosaic.

gula
the upper part of the throat or gullet

glabrous
without hairs

glossa
tongue

granivorous
feeding on grain and seeds

gena
cheek

genus
a taxonomic category ranking below a family and above a species and generally consisting of a group of species

frontal
referring to the front of head or anterior aspect of any part

fungicolous
living in or on fungi

frons
forehead

fossorial
digging or adapted to digging

floricolous
living on flowers

fossil
extinct in the Pleistocene (the previous geological period) or before

fertile
capable of initiating, sustaining, or supporting reproduction

femur
the third segment of the insect leg, following coxa and trochanter

feces
solid bodily waste discharged from the large intestine

family
a rank in a taxonomic classification, above both genus and species and below order

exuvia
the cast-off outer skin of an insect or other arthropod

facultative
in general, not obligatory but rather capable of adapting to different conditions

exudate
liquid excretion (from glands) to the outside

exoskeleton
rigid or articulated envelope that supports and protects the soft tissues of certain animals

eutrophic
waters rich in mineral and organic nutrients that promote a proliferation of plant life, especially algae

eurytopic
able to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions, widely distributed

euryhaline
able to tolerate waters over a wide range of salinity

eurythermic
(also eurythermal) able to tolerate a wide range of temperatures

epipleura
the outer side of a beetle's wing-cover when it is inflexed or turned down so as to cover partially the side of the thorax and abdomen

entomopathogenic
causing a disease or diseases in insects (usually bacteria, viruses, protozoans or fungi)

entomology
the branch of zoology that deals with insects and, specifically, the hexapods

endemic
restricted to a well defined geographical region

endoparasite
a parasite that lives internally (inside its host)

elytron, elytra
modified, hardened forewing of the beetles

edaphic
related to or caused by particular soil conditions, as of texture or drainage, rather than by physiographic or climatic factors

dorsal
on the upper surface

ectoparasite
a parasite that lives on the outside of its host

diurnal
active at daytime

distal
referring to the part of an appendage that is farthest from the body

disjunct
two closely related taxa are widely separated geographically

dimorphism
a difference in size, form, or color, between individuals of the same species

diapause
a period of hormonally controlled quiescence, esp. in immature insects, characterized by cessation of growth and reduction of metabolic activity, often occurring seasonally or when environmental conditions are unfavorable

detritophilous
living in decaying plant matter

detriticolous
living in detritus

det.
(lat. determinavit) determined by

degradation
any significant reduction in the fertility of a soil, whether in the course of its natural development or by direct or indirect human action

cuticle
external skeletal structure of the insect

coxa
the proximal (basal) leg segment

cosmopolitan
occuring throughout most of the world

copulation
the act of sexual union

corticolous
growing or living on tree bark

copula
the act of sexual union

coprophagous
feeding on dung or excrement

coprophilous
living or growing on excrement

compound eye
an eye consisting of many individual elements each of which is externally represented by a facet

commensalism
symbiosis, two or more species living together such that one benefits but neither loses fitness

coll.
specimen in the collection of

colin
climate zone 150-450 m, oak limit (Quercus spp.); European Beech (Fagus sylvatica), Sessile oak (Quercus petraea), Pedunculate oak or English oak (Quercus robur)

coleopterology
the branch of entomology that studies beetles

Coleoptera
order beetles

clypeus
part of the insect head between labrum and frons

cocoon
a protective case of silk or similar fibrous material spun by the larvae of moths and other insects that serves as a covering for their pupal stage

chitin
biopolymer (polysaccharide, closely related to cellulose), major component of the arthropod cuticle

cf.
(lat. confer, compare, consult) indicates that a species needs to be seen in context of its comparison to another, but by definition is not confirmed as the same

cerci
(sing. cercus) slender, paired and segmented sensory appendages arising from the tenth abdominal segment of some insects

caudal
at or towards the end

cavernicolous
living in caves

Caspian
of or relating to or characteristic of the Caspian Sea

cardo
the basal joint of the maxilla in insects

carnivorous
preying or feeding on animals

caput
Head

canthariphil
attracted by cantharidin

campicolous
living on fields

cantharidin
a type of terpenoid (molecular formula C10H12O4), is a poisonous chemical compound secreted by many species of blister beetle, and most notably by the Spanish fly (Lytta vesicatoria)

brachypterous
having shortened wings

boreomontane
disjunct distribution in the boreal forest with relic populations in the mountains (Alps, Carpathians) and in bogs in the North German Plain

boreal
from or belonging to the north, faunal region with cool, wet summers and cold winters

bivoltine
having two generations per year

biotope
a portion of a habitat characterized by uniformity in climate and distribution of biotic and abiotic components

biocenosis
a self-sufficient community of naturally occurring organisms occupying and interacting within a specific biotope

binominal nomenclature
formal system of naming species, devloped by Carl Linnaeus

basal
at or towards the base, closer to the point of attachment

autochthonous
originating where found, indigenous

Australis
ecozone including Australia and Tasmania

autapomorphy
a derived trait that is unique to a particular taxon

arthropoda
a phylum of the animal kingdom that includes bilaterally symmetrical animals with hard, segmented bodies bearing jointed appendages

arolium
pretarsal pad-like structure

arid
applied to regions in which the normal rainfall is insufficient to produce ordinary farm crops without irrigation, and in which desert conditions prevail

arboreal
living in, on or among trees

aquatic
living in the water

apterous
without wings

apical
at or towards the apex