Insect Unit Vocabulary List
Insects are:
v Invertebrates: no internal structures to support their bodies.
v Arthropods: a type of invertebrates that have an exoskeleton and bendable, jointed legs
v Exoskeleton: a kind of skeleton on the outside of the body of arthropods which protects them
Insects have:
v Three separate body parts (head, thorax and abdomen)
v 6 legs (in adult stage)
v Some have wings
v Develop from eggs
v Have antennae (feelers)
v Exoskeleton
What Are Insects Made Of?
Chitin: the exoskeleton of an insect is made up of chitin
Head: one of the three body regions of an insect; holds the eyes, mouthparts and antennae
Thorax: the middle part where the legs and wings are attached
Abdomen: the part behind the thorax that contains the organs of digestion and reproduction
Antennae: two antennae are found on the front of the head. They serve as organs of touch and sometimes taste, smell and hearing. They are often called “feelers”
Wings
v Insects may have no wings, one pair of wings or two pair of wings.
Scales: can cover the wings and are the powdery parts of the wings of butterflies and moths
Membranous wings: Clear wings with veins showing through; some insects such as wasps have these
Shell-like wings: Outer wings, such as a beetle’s, may be hard and shell-like
Mouthparts
v The mouthparts of an insect may be chewing, piercing-sucking, siphoning(tube-like mouthparts that take up a food source like a soda straw) or sponging, or they may not have any mouthparts at all!
Metamorphosis
v How each insect grows up and changes shape; there are three kinds of metamorphosis:
Simple Metamorphosis (silverfish, lice)
v An insect comes out of the egg looking exactly like a small adult insect. It molts several times to grow larger until it reaches adult size.
Egg: every insect develops from a fertilized egg
Molting: stages of shedding skin to grow larger
Incomplete Metamorphosis (grasshoppers, termites, true bugs, dragonflies)
v An insect hatches from an egg and becomes a nymph
Nymph: the stage of an insect that does not have fully developed wings
Complete metamorphosis (butterflies, moths, flies, bees, wasps, fleas)
v Life cycle = egg – larva—pupa—adult
Larva: comes after the egg; looks likes a worm or caterpillar
Pupa: Comes after the larva stage; it is the quiet stage that does not move
Adult: Final stage of complete metamorphosis where the adult breaks through the old skin of the pupa and begins its life as an adult
Mimicry: some insects will copy other insects’ habits and patterns
Pheromones: a chemical produced by an insect usually used to attract mates
Proboscis: The hollow, straw-like mouthparts of some insects. The proboscis uncoils and zips together, and is used for feeding on nectar.
Spiracles: holes in insects that are used for breathing