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A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

Jargon Buster

A
Abdomen: After the head and the thorax, this is the third section of a beetle. As it holds most of their vital organs, it is protected by hard plates. (back)

Analgesic: A painkiller. (back)

Angiosperm: A plant which grows flowers. (back)

Anthropomorphic: Something such as an object or animal that has been given human characteristics. (back)

Aorta: Part of the circulatory system that moves haemolymph (insect blood) around the body. (back)

Aposematism: A natural and conspicuous means of defence – bright colours, loud sounds or noxious odour – used by animals. It is a warning to stay away! (back)

Arthropods: The group of invertebrates with segmented bodies and an external skeleton, such as crabs, scorpions and spiders. (back)

Asymmetry: A lack of symmetry, when something is out of balance or harmony. (back)

B
Bivalve: An aquatic creature that has two hinged shells, such as an oyster or mussel. (back)

Buccula: Cheek plates. (back)

Bulbous: Rounded, bulging. (back)

C
Cannibalism: When an organism eats members of the same species. (back)

Cantharidin: A poisonous chemical found in many blister beetle species. (back)

Carapace: Hard upper shell of a creature like a tortoise or scorpion. (back)

Carrion: The decaying flesh of dead animals. (back)

Cephalic: Simply means something pertaining to the head, usually in or out of it. For example cephalic horns will protrude from the head. (back)

Capitulum: A substance attractive to ants which covers stick insect eggs. (back)

Caudal: Another word for the rear, or tail, section of an animal’s body. (back)

Cerci: Pair of appendages at the end of a bug’s abdomen. Their function can vary in different bugs – stick insects use them as sensory organs, while antlions use them in mating. (back)

Chelicerae: Pincer-like jaws. (back)

Chitin:
Hard, semi-transparent material which forms the exoskeleton of arthropods. (back)

Chromatic: Relating to or produced by colour. (back)

Compound eyes:
Large eyes that give a wide field of vision. They are made up of many tiny lenses. Acutely sensitive to movement. (back)

Convex: A surface curved outwards like a ball. (back)

Copulation: The union of external sex organs for insemination. (back)

Crustacean: An arthropod that has a hard shell and numerous legs, for example lobsters and crabs. They usually live in the sea. (back)

Cuticle: A protective structure covering the body of most invertebrates, often made largely of chitin. (back)

Cylindrical: A shape that has straight parallel sides and a circular or oval top and bottom. (back)


D

Denticles:
Tooth-like structures found on the bodies of insects and fish. (back)

Detrimental:
Having a harmful effect. (back)

Diurnal:
Organisms that are active during the day. (back)


E

Ecology: The bit of biology that deals with the relationships of organisms to each other and their environment. (back)

Ecosystem: The combination of all living things in an area and the environmental factors which affect them, like temperature, humidity and soil type. (back)

Elytra: Hard wing cases that protect the hindwings of beetles. (back)

Endemic: A species found only in a certain area, for example, kangaroos are endemic to Australia. (back)

Epimorphism:
The process by which the young hatch fully developed in the adult form, with the full number of body segments. (back)

Erratic:
Wandering or unpredictable. (back)

Excrete:
To expel unwanted substances from the body. (back)

Exoskeleton:
The protective armour over an animal’s body. (back)

F
Fauna: All animals, including invertebrates as well as mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. The equivalent word meaning all the plants is flora. (back)

Filiform:
A biological term for something that is thread-like. (back)

Forcipulae: Fang-like appendages that deliver the poison into the victim. Although they were originally used for eating, they have developed into very strong and lethal claws. (back)

Femur: Thigh bone. (back)

G
Ganglia: Plural of ganglion, a cluster of nerve cells. (back)

H
Haemolymph: Insect blood. (back)

Hibernate: To sleep through the winter. (back)

Hosts: Organisms on which parasites live. (back)

Hydrofuge: Water resistant. (back)

Hydrophobic: Something that repels or fails to mix with water. (back)

Hypermetamorphosis: When the stages an insect goes through to change from larva to adult cause it to take very different shapes e.g. go from elongated to grublike. (back)

Hypognathous:
having mouthparts that stick out downwards. (back)

I
Imago: The last stage of an insect’s development. (back)

Instars: Stages (after a moulting) of an insect’s larval development. (back)

Insecticides:
Substances that are used to kill insects. (back)

Insectivore:
An animal that eats insects. (back)

Invertebrates: Animals without backbones. (back)

L
Labrum: Upper lip of an insect. (back)

Larvae: The plural of larva. A larva is a young immature beetle undergoing metamorphosis: the stage between and egg and pupa. A beetle larva is commonly called a grub. (back)

Latitude: A horizontal measurement to define how far a place is north or south of the equator. ‘High latitudes’ are found in the far north or south of the world. (back)

Lenticular: Shaped like a lentil! (back)

M
Matriarchal:
A society dominated by females. (back)

Maxilla:
One of the mouthparts of invertebrates. (back)

Maxillae:
Mouthparts used for chewing. (back)

Maxillipeds:
The modified first ‘legs’ of the centipede, these structures used to be linked to feeding, but have now developed into the forcipulae. (back)

Membranous:
Milky or filmy skin that covers body parts on animals. (back)

Mesosoma: The middle part of an arthropod's body. (back)

Metamorphosis: The transformation where a young insect develops into an adult. The stages: egg, larva, pupa, adult. (back)

Metasoma: The end section of an arthropod's body. In scorpions, the metasoma is the tail. (back)

Molluscs: group of animals including snails, slugs and octopuses. (back)

Monochromatic: Having only one colour. (back)

Monophagous:
An organism that eats only one type of food. (back)

Morphology/ morphological : The study of the forms, shapes, structures of things. (back)

Moult: The shedding of old skin or hair by animals, or the exoskeleton of an arthropod. (back)

Myrmecochory: Using ants to protect eggs from predators. (back)

N
Nematocyst:
A cell in a jellyfish tentacle containing venom. (back)

Neurotoxin: A poison which acts on the nervous system. (back)

Nits: The egg of a head louse, found in human hair. (back)

O
Ocelli: See simple eyes. (back)

Oesophagus: A tube down which food passes on the way from the mouth to the stomach. (back)

Olfactory: Relating to the sense of smell. (back)

Ommatidia: Tiny lenses which together form a compound eye. (back)

Oothecae: Cocoons made of silk in which female spiders protect their eggs. (back)

Opisthosoma: The underside of the abdomen on an arachnid, behind the prosoma. (back)

Ovipositor: An appendage, which sometimes looks like a stinger, used by some arthropod females to lay their eggs. (back)

Ovoviviparous: An animal whose eggs develop inside the body, only emerging as they are about to hatch. (back)

P
Palaearctic: One of the planet’s eight ecozones. Basically, it includes Europe, northern Asia, northern Africa, and the northern and central parts of the Arabian peninsula. (back)

Palps: Appendages used for touching and tasting found near the mouthparts of certain bugs. (back)

Parasitism:
The strategy of living on a host organism and taking nutrients from it. (back)

Parasitoids:
Insect larvae living as parasites in another organism which cause the death of their host. (back)

Parthenogenesis:
Ability to produce offspring without mating. (back)

Pathogenic:
A living thing that can cause disease. (back)

Pedipalps:
A scorpion's pincers. (back)

Peduncle: A stem or stalk-like part where tissue or an organ is attached to the body. In botany, it is the stalk of a flower or fruit. (back)

Pheromones: A chemical given off to transmit messages to members of the same species. (back)

Phytophagous: An insect or invertebrate that feeds on plants. (back)

Pollination: Process of carrying pollen from one plant to another to enable fertilisation. (back)

Polymorphous: Literally, this means ‘many forms’. For example, the Polymorphous Centipede comes in many different colours. (back)

Pores: Tiny openings in the body surface. (back)

Proboscis: In insects, a long mouthpart that is tube-shaped and flexible, used for sucking. (back)

Proleg: Appendages on underside of some insect larvae, used for gripping surfaces. (back)

Prosoma: The first part of the body of an arthropod. (back)

Prothorax: Section of an insect’s thorax where first pair of legs is located. (back)

Pupa: Inactive stage of an insect between being a larva and being an adult. (back)

R
Resonate: To make or be filled with deep, full, clear sound. (back)


Rostrum: Snout or beak of an insect. (back)

S

Scutellum: A triangular plate of chitin behind the pronotum. (back)

Secrete: Produce and discharge a substance from the body. (back)

Setae:
Stiff hair or bristle-like structure on an animal. (back)

Sexual dimorphism: When the males and females of a species look different. (back)

Simple eyes (ocelli): Tiny eyes that are only useful for detecting changes in light density. They work with the compound eyes to give information, such as approaching prey, to the insect. (back)

Silo: A tall tower or pit on a farm used to store grain. (back)

Spermatophore: Capsule containing the male reproductive cells of certain insects. (back)

Spermatozoa:
The male cell that fertilises the female cell in reproduction to make a new organism. (back)

Spur: A protrusion on a planthopper’s leg, like the spike on a cowboy’s boot. (back)

Stabilimentum: Conspicuous zigzag patterns made out of silk in the centre of a spider’s web. (back)

Stamens: The male fertilising organ of a flower. The stamen has two main parts – the filament and the anther, which contains the pollen. (back)

Steppe: A plain without trees, usually with short grasses and low rainfall. (back)

Sternum: The breastbone. (back)

Stigma: Thoracic openings used for breathing.(back)

Stridulate:
To rub a leg against a wing or other leg to make a sound. (back)

Stylets: Mouthparts adapted for piercing. (back)

Styli: Appendages used for mating. (back)

Subterranean: Existing or happening under the earth’s surface. (back)

Symbiotic: Organisms living close to each other, which both benefit from the relationship. (back)

T
Tegmina: Tough, leathery front wings of an insect used to protect the flight wings. (back)

Tarsi: Segments making up an insect’s foot. (back)

Tarsus: The last segment of an insect’s leg, usually ending in a claw. (back)

Telson: The last segment of a crustacean's body. In scorpions, it bears the stinger. (back)

Temperate: A place that is characterised by mild temperatures. (back)

Terrain: The physical features of an area of land. (back)

Terrestrial invertebrates: Animals without backbones that live on land. (back)

Thorax: The middle section of an insect, between the head and the abdomen. This is the powerhouse of the beetle. (back)

Tibia: Fourth segment of an insect’s leg. (back)

Toxin: A poison from a plant or animal. (back)

Trichobothria: Long, hair-like structures found in arachnids that detect vibrations and currents. (back)

Triungulin: The first larval stage of a bug going through hypermetamorphosis. At this stage the larva can move around. (back)

Troglodyte: A cave dweller. (back)

Tympanum: A membranous layer forming part of an insect’s hearing organs. (back)

V
Venation: An arrangement of veins. (back)

Vermiform:
Shaped like a worm. (back)

Vertebrates:
Any animal with a spinal column or backbone, for example birds, fishes, reptiles and mammals (including humans). (back)

Viviparous:
Organisms that develop young inside their bodies and give birth to them, rather than lay eggs. (back)

X
Xylophagous: An animal that eats wood. (back)