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

pulp
the part that is left when most of the liquid is pressed out of vegetables, fruit, etc.

pronotum
the top of the first segment of the thorax

prolegs
legs that appear on the abdominal section of insect larvae but not on the adult

proboscis
an insect's tubelike mouthpart which is used for piercing and sucking

primitive
from long ago; a very old form of something

prey
an animal hunted and killed for food by another animal

primary
main

predator
an animal that lives by killing or eating other animals

prehistoric
from periods before written history

pollen
a yellowish powder produced by the male parts of flowers and used for fertilization

pollination
transfer of pollen from one flower to another

polyembryony
producing two or more young from the same egg

potential
possible

predaceous (also predacious)
surviving by killing and eating other animals

philatelist
a stamp collector

photosynthesis
the process by which organisms convert sunlight to energy

phylum
(plural form is phyla) division in the animal taxonomy that ranks below kingdom and above class; the phylum Arthropoda includes spiders, insects, and related animals

pigments
substances that give any object color, such as the scales on wings of butterflies and moths

pistil
the female part of a flower where the eggs are produced

pesticide
chemical used to kill pests

petiole
the slender stem that supports the flat part (blade) of the leaf

phenomenal
remarkable

pheromone
any chemical substance emitted by members of a species that stimulates other members of the species to respond in a particular way

perception
an understanding through observation

parthenogenesis
reproduction with unfertilized eggs

pasteurization
process of using heat to kill harmful bacteria in things such as milk

patella
fourth of eight segments of a spider's leg; in human beings the patella is the kneecap; insects do not have a patella

pathogen
something capable of producing a disease, especially a living microorganism or virus

pedipalps
one of two pairs of mouthparts in spiders; the base of pedipalps can be used to crush food; in males, the tips are swollen and modified to transmitting sperm during reproduction

parasitic
of or like a parasite

ovipositor
an appendage (or structure) in certain female insects used to deposit eggs

omnivorous
eating both animal and vegetable food

order
a category in plant and animal classification that ranks above the family and below the class

organic
of or obtained from plants or animals

ornamental
a plant cultivated for decorative purposes rather than as food or for lumber, etc.

Orthoptera
insect order with straight, papery wings, and jumping hind legs; includes crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts

ommatidia
(plural form of ommatidium) scientific name for the individual parts or lens in each compound eye

Odonata
insect order with slender bodies, large eyes, and two pairs of equal-sized, transparent wings; includes dragonflies and damselflies

neotropics
relating to the Neotropical region which extends south, east, and west from the central plateau of Mexico, and includes Central America and South America

neurotoxin
a poison that acts on the nervous system

nits
eggs of lice

nocturnal
active at night

nutrient
something nourishing

nymph
an immature insect in incomplete metamorphosis; it differs from the adult in size and in its incompletely developed wings and genitalia

nematode
roundworm, usually microscopic, parasite of plants and animals

naiad
young of an aquatic insect (mayfly, dragonfly, damselfly, or stonefly)

nectar
sweet liquid found in flowers

morsels
small pieces of food

molt
to shed the exoskeleton, skin, feathers, etc., before a new growth

mold
a wooly or furry growth caused by fungus

molecules
very small particles of matter

miniature
small in scale

minute
very small; tiny

miller
moth whose wings appear to be covered with dust as the clothes of a person who works in a grain mill would be

millipede
small, wormlike animal that has two pairs of legs on each of its many body segments; unlike the centipede, a millipede has no poison fangs

mimic
something or someone that attempts to resemble someone or something else

mimicry
close resemblance of one organism to another similar organism or to natural objects among which it lives for protection to the organism

microscopic
tiny; invisible without the aid of a microscope

midges
small, two-winged flies

migrates
moves from one place to another as the seasons change

millennia
(plural form of millennium) periods of 1,000 years

microorganisms
an organism that can only be seen through a microscope

metamorphosis, complete
process in which an insect progresses through several distinct stages: egg to larva to pupa to adult

metamorphosis, incomplete
process in which an insect egg becomes a nymph, which then grows gradually into an adult

metatarsus
sixth of eight segments of a spider's leg between the tibia and the tarsus; insects do not have this leg part

metathorax
the back segment of the three segments of an insect's thorax

microhabitat
the specific environment in which an animal lives

microlepidoptera
moths that are small in size

metallic
something that looks like or has the characteristics of metal

mange
a skin disease which causes scabs, itching, and hair loss

mangrove
a tropical tree or shrub that has prop roots that appear to be extra trunks; these trees and shrubs are important in coastal land building

maturation
the process of becoming full-grown

mechanical
like a machine

membranous
of or like a membrane

mesothorax
the middle segment of the three segments of the thorax of an insect

maintenance
keeping something in good repair; supporting

malaria
disease transmitted by Anopheles mosquito bites and characterized by chills, fever, and sweating

mammal
warm-blooded animals that are vertebrates and usually have hair; female mammals produce milk in mammary glands

mandibles
jaws; mouthparts in insects used for capturing prey and biting

maggots
the larvae of flies which are wormlike in appearance and which live in decaying matter

lichens
a plant-like organism that grows in patches on trees, rocks, etc., which is actually a fungus and algae growing together

locusts
species of grasshoppers which destroy crops as they migrate from place to place in swarms

lubricates
oils or greases something to make it run smoothly

luciferin
an organic substance that is used by organisms such as fireflies to help produce light without heat

macrolepidoptera
large moths and butterflies

leaf miner
insect larva that lives between the top and bottom surfaces of a leaf; discolored areas on the surface of the leaf demonstrate the leaf miner's presence

Lepidoptera
insect order that includes butterflies and moths; insects in this order have microscopic scales on each wing

lac
a sticky substance left on trees by scale insects; this substance is used in making varnish and shellac

lamellate
having plates, scales, or layers

larvae
(plural form of larva) stage of an insect between the egg and pupa stages

laterally
of, at, from, or toward the side of something

kingdom
one of four divisions of the natural world

knobbed
having round lumps (knobs); butterfly antennae have knobs at their ends

Kunga cake
bread made by natives in Africa from the pressed bodies of midges from the Family Diptera

labium
lower lip-like part of an insect's mouthparts

jet propulsion
ejecting air, gas, water, etc., backwards to propel an object forward

Jurassic
the geological time period when dinosaurs existed and birds first appeared; this period came just before the Cretaceous period

Isoptera
the name for the order that includes termites

isopods
members of an order of small crustaceans whose bodies have seven pairs of legs; includes the pillbugs and sowbugs

iridescence
(adjective form is iridescent) the changing of color when moved; reflection of light to form a color different from the pigment of an object