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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Glossary » H » holometabolous, holometabola

holometabolous, holometabola

Classification · Identification · See Also · Print References · Works Cited
Black swallowtail, collage of metamorphosis, 3 stages - Papilio polyxenes - male Horned Passalus life stages - Odontotaenius disjunctus Hypermetamorphosis of Striped Blister Beetle - Epicauta vittata
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
No Taxon (Glossary)
No Taxon (H)
No Taxon holometabolous, holometabola
Identification
holometabolous adjective - indicating an insect that undergoes complete metamorphosis. Holometabolous insects have a four-stage life cycle (1):
1-egg (embryo)
2-larva, typically worm-like with several stages (instars)
3-pupa (resting, transformative stage)
4-imago (adult, sexual stage, typically winged)

The following orders of insects are holometabolous:
Neuroptera - Antlions, Lacewings and Allies
Coleoptera - Beetles
Hymenoptera - Ants, Bees, Wasps and Sawflies
Trichoptera - Caddisflies
Lepidoptera - Butterflies and Moths
Mecoptera - Scorpionflies, Hangingflies and Allies
Diptera - Flies
Siphonaptera - Fleas
Strepsiptera - Twisted-winged Insects
This group is referred to as Endopterygota or Holometabola.
See Also
metamorphosis
ametabolous
hemimetabolous
paurometabolous
holometabolous (Endopterygota)
Print References
Borror et al. (1)
Gordh, A Dictionary of Entomology, p. 447 (2)
Works Cited
1.Borror and DeLong's Introduction to the Study of Insects
Norman F. Johnson, Charles A. Triplehorn. 2004. Brooks Cole.
2.A Dictionary of Entomology
George Gordh, David H. Headrick. 2003. CABI Publishing.
Contributed by Cotinis on 24 May, 2007 - 10:06pm
Last updated 19 February, 2009 - 8:30pm

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