Litinsects

Litinsects #21: Complete vs. Incomplete Metamorphosis Welcome to METAMORPHOSIS PART 3: Let’s start with a recap of my last two posts... Within winged insects (or PTERYGOTES), there are two different developmental strategies: HOLOMETABOLOUS insects undergo complete metamorphosis with 4 stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. All stages look completely different from one another HEMIMETABOLOUS insects undergo incomplete metamorphosis with 3 stages: eggs, nymph, and adult. The nymphal stages physically resemble the adults Nymphs of hemimetabolous insects typically share the same food and habitat as adults and exhibit similar behaviors whereas holometabolous insects usually look different, display different behaviors, and occupy different habitats in each life stage. The takeaway here is that holometabolous insects are very good at compartmentalizing certain tasks into different life stages, in order to reduce or eliminate competition among life stages! Th...

(© Brandon Thorpe) (© Brandon Thorpe) Litinsects #20: Hemimetabola Welcome to METAMORPHOSIS PART 2: Yesterday I discussed complete metamorphosis, where an individual’s appearance changes pretty drastically through its life stages. But some insects undergo a different kind of transformation: INCOMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS. These insects are HEMIMETABOLOUS (hemi = half/part, metabola = change) because they go through gradual changes to their body layout. This includes 3 life stages: egg, nymph, and adult. 1) As usual it starts with an EGG 2) A NYMPH emerges, which generally resembles the adult form of the insect but WITHOUT WINGS. Nymphs molt several times, growing in the process, but never enter a pupal stage. These nymphal stages are called INSTARS 3) The ADULT insect emerges after the final molt, with WINGS and REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS. Nymphs may differ from adults in coloration or body proportions but hemimetabolous insects usually have similar diets in ...

Litinsects #19: Metamorphosis, Part 1: Holometabola Who would like to join me on this 3-part adventure of insect metamorphosis? It is my hope that by the end, you will be TRANSFORMED... into a person who knows a lot more about insect metamorphosis than when you started! 😁 So here goes METAMORPHOSIS PART 1: Everyone knows that a caterpillar 🐛 makes a cocoon and emerges as a butterfly 🦋 , right? This is an example of COMPLETE METAMORPHOSIS (as opposed to incomplete which I will go over tomorrow). Butterflies, and a whole lot of other insects, are HOLOMETABOLOUS (holo = whole/entire, metabola = change), so called because the insect undergoes drastic changes in body layout and function and each stage is completely different in appearance from the others. This includes 4 life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. 1) All insect lives begin with an EGG. Most hatch within a few days after being laid 2) From the egg emerges a LARVA. Some have legs, some do...