Litinsects

(© 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 ...