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INSECT DIAGNOSTICS +
BIODIVERSITY CAPACITY BUILDING

Papua New Guinea

Glossary

abdominal -- prolegs see prolegs
adfrontal area -- Y-shaped area marked by sutures on the anterior of the head in Lepidoptera larvae
adfrontal lines -- see adfrontal area
ametabolous -- simple lifecycle development type in primitive (apterygote) insects where nymphs hatch from the eggs resembling adults and get successively bigger through moulting stages to adulthood, e.g. silverfish and bristletails
anal prolegs -- prolegs on the terminal abdominal segment, at the apex of the abdomen in some insect larvae e.g. Trichoptera, Lepidoptera (modified and hooklike); see prolegs
anal struts -- see anal prolegs
antennae -- paired sensory appendages on the head of an insect above the mouthparts, usually associated with the eye and often with the base arising in antero-ventral positions to the eye
anterior -- the front or head end, referring to the position on the body
apex -- tip of a structure away from the body; also see apical
apical -- at the tip or end of a structure, referring to the position on the body
apical abdominal filaments -- filaments arising from the last (terminal) segment of the abdomen, the tail end
appendage -- limbs or other structures projecting from the body which generally have a particular function
apterygote -- primitively wingless insects
aquatic -- living in or on water
aristate -- antennal type found in higher flies (Diptera: Brachycera), with a bristle-like structure or
arista -- arising from the apical antennal segment which is usually lobe-like
arolium -- pad-like structure of the pretasus, distal to the tip of the tarsus, between the base of the claws
asymmetrical -- where the two sides of a structure, when divided down the middle, are different, e.g. cerci of male Embioptera (web spinners)
basal -- positioned closest to the body; usually referring to the base of structure that articulates to the body
calcar -- large, movable, tibial spur or spine; often also with a comb of teeth
campodeiform -- insect larvae that are relatively flattened, elongate and active, with long legs, e.g. Heteroptera, Auchenorrhyncha, some Coleoptera, Neuroptera
caterpillar -- an eruciform type of larva, which possesses thoracic legs, usually also abdominal prolegs, and a distinct head; thoracic and abdominal body segments not easily distinguishable
caudal -- tail, tail end or posterior end, referring to position on the body
cerci -- apical or terminal abdominal appendages; always paired
clypeus -- anterior part of the head capsule, immediately posterior to the mouthparts; in many insects (e.g. many beetles) fused with the frons to form the frontoclypeus
compound eye -- an eye composed of many individual cells or lenses, called ommatidia, which appear hexagonal in shape.
constricted abdomen -- waisted, with basal segments of the abdomen greatly reduced in width, narrowly joining the metathorax; see also waist
coxa -- the most basal visible segment of the leg, an oval or thickened joint articulating the leg in the thorax
crotchets -- hooks on the prolegs of insect larvae, often organised in a ring, e.g. in most Leipdopteran larvae
dehiscent -- shedding, referring to the wings of termites (Termitoidea) which drop off
distal -- most distant, referring to position of parts of appendages relative to the body (opposite of proximal)
dorsal -- top or upperside, referring to position on the body
dorsum -- the topside of the body
ectoparasite -- a parasite living on the outside of its host e.g. fleas, lice, bedbugs, some flies Nycteribiidae
elateriform -- a type of insect larva; elongate and cylindrical worm-like (vermiform) larvae but with small anteriorly clustered articulated legs (= "wireworms")
elytra -- hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), which meet along the midline of the body and do not overlap; without any visible venation although sometimes highly punctured or textured; these may be fused along the midline forming a single inflexible covering in some flightless beetles.
endoparasite -- a parasite living inside its host, e.g. many wasp and fly larvae
endopterygote -- insects with wing development inside the body in immature stages; also known as holometabolous insects with complete metamorphosis
epiphysis -- a lobe or pad-like structure on the inner surface of the foretibia in Lepidoptera
eruciform -- caterpillar-like larvae, e.g. Lepidoptera, and sawflies
eversible vesicle -- sac-like structures can be everted or turned inside out, found on the abdomen of bristletails; see also vesicle
exopterygote -- insects with wing development on the outside of the body; seen as wing pads in immature stages; e.g. hemimetabolous insects with incomplete metamorphosis; also called nymphs
filament -- feather or hair-like projections from the body, e.g. at end of abdomen in bristletails, silverfish and Ephemeroptera - which usually possess a medial filament between paired cerci; sometimes cerci are also referred to as filaments in these groups
filiform -- thread-like, usually referring to antennal structure in insects
forceps -- modified single segmented cerci at apex of abdomen, pincer-like, usually significantly longer than apical abdominal segment, thickened and robust; found in Dermaptera
fore- -- first or front, often referred to first pair of legs, i.e. forelegs, foretibia etc.
frons -- an area of the head capsule bounded by the eyes and the clypeus fused referring to the junction of two plates or segments so that there is no independent movement of each, often represented by loss of the division between them
genitalia -- sexually reproductive organs, usually located in the terminal abdominal segment or segments, at the posterior end of the abdomen.
gills -- respiratory (breathing) organs of aquatic nymphs, usually on abdominal segments e.g. caudal gills of Odonata and lateral abdominal gills of Ephemeroptera
glabrous -- hairless, smooth
haltere -- reduced club-like hind wing of true flies (Diptera)
haustellate -- coiled sucking mouthparts found in Lepidoptera, uncoiled in feeding
hemimetabolous -- incomplete metamorphosis lifecycle development, in which eggs hatch to wingless and non-reproductive nymphs which gradually develop wing pads and genitalia through stages as they moult, developing fully articulated wings and mature genitalia in the final moult to adulthood; in many insect orders, e.g. Hemiptera, Ephemeroptera, Odonata, Orthoptera
hemelytra -- the basally hardened forewings of true bugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera); half hardened and half membranous structure, although the form varies greatly
herbivorous -- feeding on living plant tissue or plant fluids
holometabolous -- complete metamorphosis lifecycle development, in which eggs hatch to larvae which pass through a pupal resting phase (reorganising body organs) from which the adult emerges; e.g. Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera
hypognathous -- head vertical, mouthparts projected downwards or positioned ventrally
labial palps -- 1-3 segmented paired structures arising from the labium
labial spinneret -- a silk gland structure found in Lepidoptera larvae, positioned medially on the labium, between the labial palps; also see silk gland
labium -- the most ventral or posterior section of the mouthparts or 'lower lip' which usually includes paired appendages (labial palpi) and the plate to which they are attached (mentum); often modified into a greatly elongate sucking tube e.g. bugs (Hemiptera) and some flies (Diptera)
labrum -- most anterior or dorsal mouthpart, the upper lip of the mouth, sometimes absent (e.g. fused to head capsule)
larva -- the immature stage of an insect, usually only applied to the immature stage of holometabolous insects between egg and pupa; in general bears no resemblance to the adult form
larviform -- adults which have larva-like bodies but fully developed genitalia; also neonate
lateral -- on the side, referring to position on the body
mandible -- one of paired and opposed mouthpart structures situated immediately behind labrum, surrounded the oral cavity
mandibulate mouthparts -- with a pair of chewing and/or biting mandibles, usually distinguished by being thick, well-sclerotised and with internal teeth
maxillae -- paired structures of the mouthparts, located posterior to the mandibles, including the maxillary palp, galea and lacinia
maxillary palp -- paired and usually multisegmented (up to 7) projections of the mouthparts arising from the outer edge of the maxilla, often resembling miniature antennae
medial -- in the middle, towards the midline
membranous -- thin, more or less transparent, pliable
mesial -- inside or the inner surface of a structure
mesonotum -- the notum or dorsal sclerite of the mesothorax
mesothorax -- middle or second of the three segments of the thorax; bears the forewings and midlegs
metathoracic spiracle -- a spiracle on the last (third) segment of the thorax, usually positioned laterally
metathorax -- posterior of the three segments of the thorax; adjoins the abdomen; bears the hindwings and hindlegs
mimic -- to imitate, mimicry in all forms (visual, chemical, behavioural) is common in the insect world, and has a selective advantage for insects primarily in avoiding predation
morphology -- physical structure and associated terminology of insects multisegmented comprising more than one segment, often referring to structures such as cerci or antennae
notum -- the dorsal surface or sclerite of a segment, referring to the thorax in insects, e.g. pronotum, mesonotum, metanotum
nymph -- a term for the immature stage of ametabolous and hemimetabolous insects (i.e. those lacking pupa); may or may not bear resemblance to the adult form
ocelli -- a simple single-lensed eye in adult insects; 1-3 situated at posterior dorsal part of head, but often absent
ocelliform spots -- spots that appear to imitate eyes, e.g. on the wings of Lepidoptera
opaque -- a surface that does not allow light to pass through. Such an object or surface is neither transparent nor translucent
opisthognathous -- head with the mouthparts directed posteriorly, articulated on the ventral surface of the head, e.g. cockroaches, hemipterans
ovipositor -- egg-laying structure of the female genitalia, sword-like structure on the ventral surface of the abdomen; may be folded along or hidden inside the abdomen, or greatly elongated and projecting posteriorly (e.g. Orthoptera)
parasitic -- living on or within another animal called the host; the host is required for part or all of the lifecycle to be completed
piercing mouthparts -- tube-like mouthparts that are inserted into the food source; feeding is by a sucking mechanism (e.g. mosquito proboscis or bug labium)
postclypeus -- the dorsal part of the clypeus which is greatly swollen in some insects, e.g. booklice (Psocodea), cicadas and some other groups of sucking insects (Hemiptera)
posterior -- the back or tail end, referring to the position on the body
predatory -- preying on other animals for food
proboscis -- beak-like or extended sucking mouthparts; generally referring to the coiled tube of moths and butterflies (Lepidoptera) or the elongate mandible of bees (Hymenoptera: Apocrita)
prognathous -- mouthparts at front of head and projecting forward
prolegs -- fleshy appendages on the abdominal venter (rarely also dorsum); functioning as legs but without segmentation
pronotum -- the dorsal part (notum) of the prothorax, often forming a dorsal shield on the thorax anterior to the wings (e.g. earwigs, cockroaches, beetles, bugs) but often greatly reduced (e.g. dragonflies).
prothorax -- anterior segment of the 3 thoracic segments; the first thoracic segment adjoining the head; bears the forelegs and lacks wings
proximal -- most basal, referring to position of parts of appendages relative to the body (opposite of distal)
pterothorax -- fused meso- and metathorax; present in some beetles (Coleoptera), flies (Diptera) and in all dragonflies and damselflies (Odonata) rostrum a narrow projection of head anterior to eyes, with mouthparts at apex; in Hemiptera: mouthparts modified into an elongate tube for piercing and sucking.
scales -- flattened setae; unicellular outgrowths of the body
scape -- first antennal segment
scarabaeiform -- white C-shaped larvae with a well developed head and thoracic legs (e.g. Coleoptera - scarabs)
sclerotised -- hardened or thickened
scutellum -- the posterior sclerite of a thoracic notum; a triangular sclerite on the mesonotum, usually positioned posterior to the pronotum and often visible between the forewings in many bugs and beetles
scutum -- the middle sclerite of a thoracic notum, e.g. the mesoscutum which is anterior to the scutellum (e.g. Heteroptera)
sessile -- immobile without a means of locomotion, usually attached or fixed in one place
setae -- hair-like outgrowths of the body wall, with a ringlike articulation at its base
silk gland -- structure for silk production and can be found in labium of Lepidoptera, Trichoptera, some Hymenoptera (Apocrita); also see labial spinneret single lens eyes see stemmata
spiracle -- breathing hole or pore, opening of the insect tracheal (breathing) system; spiracles are often visible laterally on the thorax and abdomen
stemmata -- unicellular or single lens eyes of insect larvae, located laterally on the head.
sternite -- the ventral sclerite of an abdominal segment
stylet -- a piercing needle-like structure; part of piercing sucking mouthparts; in bugs two pairs of structures, each pair of mandible and maxillary origins respectively
stylus -- a short pointed process; plural is styli; e.g. on the abdominal sternites of silverfish
sucking mouthparts -- mouthparts for feeding on liquid food; variously modified to either pierce and then suck liquid from within the food source, or sponge-feed externally on liquid, or greatly elongate to access nectaries of flowers to feed on this sugary liquid
symmetrical -- where the two sides of something, divided down the midline are the same
tarsal segments -- see tarsomere
tarsi -- see tarsus
tarsomere -- a segment of the tarsus
tarsus -- apical major leg segment, usually subdivided, with 1 to 5 tarsal segments which are called tarsomeres; usually with one or two terminal claws; plural is tarsi
tegmina -- toughened leathery forewings
tergite -- the dorsal plate of an abdominal segment
terminal -- end of body or tail end; see caudal
tibia -- a medial leg segment, between the femur and tarsus; the long shank of the leg
translucent -- allowing light through but without clear visibility of objects
transparent -- see through and allowing all light to pass through; also see membranous
transverse -- wider than long
trochanter -- the segment of the leg which joins the femur to the coxa, usually much shorter than the femur
urogomphi -- paired cerci-like dorsal processes on the ninth abdominal segment of beetle larvae
venation -- the arrangement and structure of veins on the wings
venter -- the underside of the body
ventral -- the underside, referring to position on the body
vermiform -- worm-like, describing larvae of Siphonaptera, some Diptera
vesicle -- a cavity, sac or bladder, often below the surface, often containing liquid
vestigial -- weakly developed, usually non-functional
waist -- a constriction where the abdomen joins the thorax in most Hymenoptera (except sawflies); see constricted abdomen