Glossary

Abdomen: the last of the three main body segments, following the thorax. Typically contains the reproductive structures of adults, and may contain spiracles running along each side (the openings to the respiratory tract).

Antenna: (Plural: Antennae) a pair of segmented appendages located on the head above the mouthparts, and usually sensory in function.

Archaeognatha: Bristletails; Medium sized, wingless insects with a humped thorax.; and three filamentous appendages on end of abdomen.

Blattodea: Roaches. See a description of roaches here.

Carnivorous: feeds on animal tissue.

Cephalothorax: A body region consisting of a fused head and thorax. A feature of crustaceans and arachnids.

Cercus: (Plural: Cerci) a feeler-like appendage located on the abdomen near the tip.

Chelicera: (Plural: Chelicerae) one of the paired mouthparts in arachnids and other members of the group Chelicerata (phylum Arthropoda). The fangs in spiders are chelicerae.

Chrysalis: (Plural: Chrysalids) the pupa of a butterfly.

Cocoon: A case of spun silk in which the pupa is formed.

Coleoptera: Beetles. See a description of beetles here.

Collembola: Springtails; small, wingless hexapods (related to insects).

Collophore: a tube-like structure located on the ventral side of the first abdominal segment (in the hexapod order Collembola (springtails)).

Compound Eye: the major insect eye, composed of many individual facets or lenses.

Coxa: (Plural: Coxae) the basal segment of the insect leg (closest to the body).

Dermaptera: Earwigs. See a description of earwigs here.

Diplura: Diplurans; small to medium wingless, eyeless, hexapods (related to insects)

Diptera: True flies. See a description of flies here.

Diurnal: Active during the daytime.

Dorsal: referring to the back (or top) side of the body.

Elytron: (Plural: Elytra) a thickened, armor-like forewing, found in the insect orders Coleoptera (beetles) and Dermaptera (earwigs).

Embioptera: Webspinners or embiids; small insects, females always wingless, some males wingless. Front tarsi of legs swollen with silk gland. Two short cerci on end of abdomen.

Ephemeroptera: Mayflies; insects with triangular shaped wings held upwards, three long appendages on end of body.

Exoskeleton: A skeleton or supporting structure on the outside of the body.

Femur: The first long segment of the leg, between the trochanter and the tibia.

Filiform: thread-like or hair-like, as in filiform antennae.

Furcula: the forked, spring-like apparatus of insects in the order Collembola (springtails).

Grylloblattodea: Rock crawlers or ice crawlers. Insects related to grasshoppers and their allies, often eyeless, wingless, and pale. Found in glacial streams.

Haltere: A paired club shaped appendage that replaces the second pair of wings in flies (order Diptera). Halteres move in a gyroscopic motion during flight to maintain balance.

Hemelytron: (Plural Hemelytra) The front wing of insects in the Suborder Heteroptera.

Hemimetabolous: having simple metamorphosis like that in the dragonflies and mayflies. The lifecycle proceeds from egg to a series of nymphs to adult.

Hemiptera: True bugs. Includes suborders Homoptera and Heteroptera. See a description here.

Herbivorous: feeds on plants.

Holometabolous: having complete metamorphosis like that in the beetles, flies, butterflies and moths. The lifecycle proceeds from egg to larva to pupa to adult.

Hymenoptera: Ants, bees, wasps, sawflies. See a description of hymenoptera here.

Instar: the insect between successive molts, the first instar being between hatching and the first molt.
Isoptera: Termites. See a description of termites here.

Labium: one of the mouthpart structures of insects. The lower lip.

Labrum: one of the mouthpart structures of insects. The upper lip.

Larva: (Plural Larvae) the immature stage, between egg and pupa, of an insect having complete metamorphosis.

Lepidoptera: Butterflies and Moths. See a description of Lepidoptera here.

Mandible: the pincer-like jaws of an insect with chewing mouthparts.

Mantodea: Mantids. See a description of mantids here.

Maxilla: (Plural: Maxillae) the paired mouthparts in insects immediately below the mandibles.

Mecoptera: Scorpionflies, hangingflies

Megaloptera: Alderflies, Dobsonflies, Fishflies

Membranous: wings made of papery-textured tissue, usually transparent.

Molt: The process of shedding the exoskeleton.

Neuroptera: Lacewings, antlions.

Nocturnal: active at night.

Nymph: an immature stage of an insect that does not have a pupal stage; the immature stage of insects with incomplete metamorphosis.

Ocellus: (Plural ocelli) a simple eye of insects or other arthropods.

Odonata: Dragonflies and Damselflies

Orthoptera: Grasshoppers, crickets, katydids, locusts

Ovipositor: the egg-laying apparatus of female insects.

Palp: a segmented structure extending off the mouthparts (usually the maxillae or labium).

Parthenogenesis: development of the egg without fertilization.

Pedipalps: The second pair of appendages on the cephalothorax of arachnids. Often used as sensory structures. May be elongated in males as they are used during reproduction.

Phasmatodea: Stick insects or walking sticks

Phthiraptera: Lice

Plecoptera: Stoneflies. See a description of stoneflies here.

Proboscis: the extended, coiled mouthparts of the insect order Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies).

Protura: Proturans; small wingless, eyeless hexapods (related to insects)

Psocoptera: Booklice or psocids.

Raphidioptera: Snakeflies

Siphonaptera: Fleas

Spiracle: a small opening along the side of an insect's abdomen that leads to the tracheae of the respiratory tract.

Strepsiptera: Twisted-wing parasites.

Tibia: The second long segment of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus.

Tarsus: (Plural: Tarsi) the leg segment beyond the tibia, composed of 3 to 5 sub-segments.

Thorax: the body region behind the head, which bears the legs and wings.

Thysanoptera: Thrips. Small plant feeders, with long fringes on wings.

Thysanura: Silverfish; medium sized wingless insects. Flattened body, three filamentous appendages at end of body.

Trichoptera: Caddisflies. See a description of caddisflies here.

Trochanter: the second segment of the leg, between the coxa and the femur.

Zoraptera: Zorapterans; small termite-like insects.