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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)