Explanation of Names
From Latin ovum, egg, and ponere, to put, place.
Identification
oviposit verb, noun oviposition - the action (oviposit) or process (oviposition) of laying eggs.
Some photos of oviposition:
ovipositor noun - an appendage of the
telum (last abdominal segment) whereby the female insect lays her eggs. The ovipositors of insects vary, they may be external, as in the
Ichneumonoidea, or tubular retractile, as in the
bot flies, or saw-like (
terebella).
Some photos of ovipositors:
