Copy of `Insect Zoo - Insect glossary`

The wordlist doesn't exist anymore, or, the website doesn't exist anymore. On this page you can find a copy of the original information. The information may have been taken offline because it is outdated.

Insect Zoo - Insect glossary Category: Animals and Nature > Insects Date & country: 24/11/2013, USA Words: 384

yucca
plant found in warm areas in North and Central America; it has long, stiff, green leaves at the bottom and white, bell-shaped flowers at the top

visual
having to do with sight

voracious
eating greedily

warble
a bump under the hide on the back of an animal caused by the larva of a bot fly or warble fly

wriggler
the larva of a mosquito

yellow fever
infectious disease marked by high fever, chills, and jaundice and caused by mosquitoes

virus
organisms that produce disease; viruses depend on the living tissue of their hosts for their reproduction and growth

vinegaroon
a common name for whipscorpions (not to be confused with true scorpions), an order of the Arachnida that have defensive fluids with the aroma of vinegar

vibrations
rapid movements back and forth

velcro
fastener made from two nylon strips

venom
poisonous matter normally secreted by some animals

versatile
capable of doing many things well

vertebrate
having a backbone

typhoid fever
infectious disease which is often fatal which is marked by diarrhea, intestinal problems, and skin rash

typhus
infectious diseases carried by fleas, lice, mites, and ticks that cause high fever, weakness, spots on the skin, and other symptoms

ultraviolet light
the invisible part of the light spectrum beyond the violet color

vegetation
growing plants

tsetse fly
blood-sucking African flies that transmit sleeping sickness in humans

tympanic
related to the eardrum or tympanum

tympanum
in insects a large membrane like the ear drum in humans for detecting sound vibrations

tropics
areas on the surface of the earth nearest the equator and farthest from the north and south polar regions

time-lapse
photographs taken at regular intervals and condensed to record a slow process

toxin-laden
full of poison

trachea
an air tube in an insect; the windpipe in humans

trilobite
extinct, marine arthropods; trilobites had jointed legs and a body divided into three vertical lobes and several horizontal segments

trochanter
second of eight leg parts of a spider; second of six leg parts in insects

taxonomists
scientists who deal with the naming and classification of biological species

terrestrial
land-dwelling

thoracic
of or relating to the thorax

thorax
the middle of the three divisions of the body of an insect

tibia
fifth of eight segments of a spider's leg; fourth of six segments of an insect's leg; in human beings, the tibia is the thicker of the two leg bones commonly referred to as the shinbone

swarms
a large group of insects that move about together

synthetically
made artifically with chemicals

tannic acid
acid made from the bark or galls of trees or plants and used in tanning leather and for making dyes, ink, and some medicines

tarsal
having to do with the tarsus, the fifth segment of the insect's leg

tarsus
(plural form of tarsi) fifth of six segments of an insect's leg and seventh of eight segments of a spider's leg; this segment bears the claws

sterile
incapable of producing offspring

steroids
chemical compounds that include sex hormones and cholesterol

stresses
pressures or forces

stridulation
process of making a shrill, grating noise by rubbing together parts of the body

subsist
to keep alive

supersonic
capable of moving at a faster rate than sound

spines
a sharp, projecting part on an animal

spinnerets
organs used by spiders for spinning the silk used to make webs

spiracles
small openings through which insects breathe

spirals
the parts of a spider's web that widens or gradually goes out from the center of the web; the spokes of the web go across the spirals

spores
seeds of flowerless plants such as fungi

stamen
the male part of a flower that contains the pollen

specimens
representative samples that show what others look like

spiderling
young spider

spiders
arthropods with eight legs, two body sections, no antennae, and no wings in the Order Araneae; organs in their abdomens produce a silky thread for spinning webs which are used to catch insects for food, making egg cases, etc.

simple eyes
a single lens that tells the difference between light and dark

siphoning
using a tube-shaped organ for drawing in and expelling liquid

skipper
butterfly that moves (or skips) rapidly from flower to flower

social
insects living together in organized groups; ants, bees, and wasps are social insects

solitary
alone; one

species
a group of animals that can reproduce fertile offspring; species ranks below genus in classification divisions; a species name is spelled with a lower case letter and is underlined or in italics

senses
ways in which an organism knows what happens around it; the five main senses are sight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell

sensillum
(plural form is sensilla) insect sense organ

setae
(plural form of seta) hairs that cover flies; bristlelike parts or organs found on animals and plants

sheath
the covering of a plant or animal

shellac
a liquid used to give a shiny, smooth appearance to wood and other surfaces

scales
flat, hollow hairs covering the wings of butterflies and moths

scarab
type of beetles; these beetles were sacred to the ancient Egyptians

scavengers
an animal that lives on decaying organic matter

secretions
a substance that is produced by some part of an animal or plant

secretive
not open; living in secrecy

sedentary
doing or requiring much sitting

segments
sections

salivary gland
glands in the mouth that secrete saliva

Samoan
from the island of Samoa in the South Pacific

savanna
a grassland with scattered trees

scale insect
small insects in the order Homoptera that feed on and often destroy plants by piercing them and sucking the sap; females cover their bodies and their eggs with a secretion that forms scales

salinity
saltiness

saliva
liquid produced by the glands in the mouth

roost
place where animals sit to rest; the act of resting at night

reproduction
the producing of offspring or young

resonate
continue to sound; vibrating sound

ritual
a routine that is followed on a regular basis

rodent
mammals that have two teeth in each jaw that are used for gnawing wood or similiar material; these teeth grow continually; rats, mice, squirrels, and beavers are rodents

repertoire
a supply of skills or abilities

replete
fully or abundantly provided or filled; worker ant that stores liquid food in its abdomen; ant repletes remain permanently in the nest while other workers gather and transfer food to them (example: honeypot ants)

rangeland
land on which cattle, sheep, etc., may graze

raptorial
body structures adapted for seizing prey

recluse
living apart from others; solitary

rectum
the end or lowest part of the large intestine

regenerated
grew back; formed new tissue

regurgitates
vomits

repellent
anything that repels an animal because it is distasteful or disagreeable

pygmy
any very small animal or thing

rafts
a mass of some type (such as insect eggs) that floats

pupate
enter the pupa stage of metamorphosis

pulsing
regular beating

pupa
an intermediate stage that occurs between the larva and the adult insect; the pupa sometimes is enclosed in a cocoon or protective covering

pupal
related to a pupa

puparium
dried skin of a fly maggot that surrounds the pupa in much the same way as a cocoon surrounds a moth pupa

prothorax
the first segment of the thorax; the prothorax is connected to the head

protist
single-celled organisms that are neither plants nor animals but that have characteristics of both

protozoan
a protist with animal-like characteristics

pseudoscorpions
tiny arachnids that have crab-like pinchers but no tail stinger and that feed on insects, mites, and other small invertebrate animals