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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 to top)

Acclimatised: Got used to a new environment. (back to top)

Algae: Plants, usually aquatic, without stems or roots. (back to top)

Amazonia: Area of rainforest around the River Amazon in South America. (back to top)

Ambulatory: Used for walking. (back to top)

Amplified: Increased volume of sound. (back to top)

Analgesic: A painkiller. (back to top)

Androconia: Scales on butterfly wings that produce pheromones. (back to top)

Angiosperm: A plant which grows flowers. (back to top)

Anhydrobiosis: When an organism stops activity because of a lack of water in its environment. It remains in this inactive state until there is enough water for it to behave normally again. (back to top)

Anterior: Near or at the front of the body. (back to top)

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

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

Apiaries: Places where bees are kept for honey production. (back to top)

Aposematic: Markings or colouration to warn off predators. (back to top)

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 to top)

Appendage: Body part that sticks out, like an arm or leg. (back to top)

Apterous: Having no wings. (back to top)

Aquatic: Based in or around water. (back to top)

Arbivorous: Animals which eat trees. (back to top)

Arboreal: Relating to trees. (back to top)

Arid: Area with very little rainfall. (back to top)

Arista: Antenna segment with a sensory function. (back to top)

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

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

Atrophied: Wasted away through lack of use, especially through evolution. (back to top)

B
Ballast: Material used to weigh something down to stop it floating off in water or air. (back to top)

Batesian mimicry: The tactic used by a vulnerable prey animal to imitate a more dangerous animal that predators try to avoid. (back to top)

Biodiversity: The variety of plants and animals in an area. (back to top)

Bioluminescence: The ability of an organism to give out light. (back to top)

Biotechnology: The exploitation of natural processes for industry. (back to top)

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

Buccula: Cheek plates. (back to top)

Bulbous: Rounded, bulging. (back to top)

Brackish: Slightly salty water e.g. in a coastal lagoon or river mouth. (back to top)

C
Calypters: Projections protecting the halteres. (back to top)

Campodeiform: Literally means ‘caterpillar footed’. Used to describe larvae which are flat and elongated with legs, and are usually predatory. (back to top)

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

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

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

Carcass: The body of a dead animal. (back to top)

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

Caste: In insects, a group within a society that has a certain function. (back to top)

Cecidia: Another name for the structures built by gall wasps. (back to top)

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

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

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

Cecidogenic: Ability to force another organism to produce a gall. (back to top)

Cell: The smallest unit making up an organism. (back to top)

Cellulose: Hard-to-digest substance that is the main component of cell walls in plants. (back to top)

Cephalothorax: Segment formed by the fusion of head and thorax. (back to top)

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 to top)

Chelicerae: Pincer-like jaws. (back to top)

Chemoreceptors: Used to sense chemical stimuli in the air. (back to top)

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

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

Chromatophore: Special cells that use colour and light reflection to change the appearance of an organism’s outer layer. (back to top)

Chrysalis: Pupa case in which butterfly metamorphosis takes place. (back to top)

Clot: When a liquid, especially blood, turns solid or semi-solid. (back to top)

Clypeus: Plate at the front of an insect’s head which strengthens the whole structure. (back to top)

Coagulate: Transformation of a liquid into a solid mass. (back to top)

Competition: Interaction between organisms which both require shares of a limited resource. (back to top)

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

Conical: Cone-shaped. (back to top)

Contaminated: Made impure by a poisonous or polluting substance. (back to top)

Converge: Meet at a single point. (back to top)

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

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

Cornuate: Shaped like a horn. (back to top)

Corolla: The petals of a flower. (back to top)

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

Crypsis: Strategy of disguise. (back to top)

Cultivate: To deliberately grow and develop. (back to top)

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

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

D
Dactyls: Protuberances on the legs of mole crickets that help them dig. (back to top)

Decapitating: Removing the head of something. (back to top)

Deciduous: Plants that shed their leaves annually. (back to top)

Decomposed: Rotted. (back to top)

Defoliating: Stripping the leaves from trees or plants. (back to top)

Dehydration: Having lost a large amount of water. (back to top)

Dengue fever: Tropical disease causing fever and aching joints. (back to top)

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

Detrimental: Having a harmful effect. (back to top)

Detritus: Debris; in water the particles left behind by decaying plant or animal matter. (back to top)

Devour: Eat. (back to top)

Diameter: The measure of a straight line through the centre of a shape, usually a circle or sphere. (back to top)

Dichoptic: Eyes that are separate and receive different light stimuli. (back to top)

Dimorphism: When the males and females of a species look different. (back to top)

Diplosomites: Abdominal segments of a millipede. (back to top)

Dipteran: Scientific name for the order containing flies – literally means ‘two-winged’. (back to top)

Disperse: Spread out. (back to top)

Distribution: The way in which a group of organisms is spread through an area. (back to top)

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

Ducts: Tubes. (back to top)

E
Eclosion: Emerging as an adult insect from a pupa or as a larva from the egg. (back to top)

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

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

Ectoparasite: A parasite that lives on the outside of its host, like a flea or tick. (back to top)

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

Embryonic: A stage of development before hatching. (back to top)

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

Entomological: Concerned with the study of insects. (back to top)

Enzymes: Substances in organisms that cause biochemical reactions to happen. (back to top)

Epigyne: Organ used for mating in female spiders. (back to top)

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

Erratic: Wandering or unpredictable. (back to top)

Euphorbia: Plant genus including many succulent species similar to cacti. (back to top)

Excavatory: Used for digging. (back to top)

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

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

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

Facets: Individual units, or ommatidia, making up a bug’s compound eye. (back to top)

Femur: Thigh bone. (back to top)

Fermented: When sugars in plant sap have turned to ethanol, or alcohol. (back to top)

Filament: Thread-like object. (back to top)

Filariasis: Tropical disease caused by worms and transmitted by mosquitoes. Can lead to severe body swellings. (back to top)

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

Foot: Muscular organ in snails and slugs which allows them to move and stick to surfaces. (back to top)

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 to top)

Frenulum: A hook that holds the wings in place. (back to top)

Frons: The central part of an insect’s face between the eyes. (back to top)

Fry: Young fish, usually newly hatched. (back to top)

Fusion: Joining of two or more things to form one. (back to top)

G
Gallery: Tunnel dug or eaten by organism in wood or earth. (back to top)

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

Gaster: Bulbous rear section of the abdomen in wasps, bees and ants. (back to top)

Gelatinous: Jelly-like. (back to top)

Glacier: Slow-moving mass of ice in mountainous or polar region. (back to top)

Gnathochilarium: Plate-like structure forming part of a millipede’s mouthparts. (back to top)

Gnathosoma: The ‘head’ section of an acarid’s body. (back to top)

Gonopods: Mating appendages of a male millipede. (back to top)

H
Haemolymph: Insect blood. (back to top)

Halteres: Modified hind wings used for balance during flight. (back to top)

Hemielytra: Wings that have become partially hardened to protect a second pair of wings. (back to top)

Hemispheric/Hemispherical: Something that has a shape like a sphere cut in half. (back to top)

Herbaceous: A type of plant that grows from a seed and dies down after flowering. (back to top)

Herbivorous: Feeding only on plants. (back to top)

Hibernate: To sleep through the winter. (back to top)

Holoptic: Eyes that are joined.

Honeydew: Sugary substance secreted by homopteran bugs feeding on plant sap. (back to top)

Hosts: Organisms on which parasites live. (back to top)

Humid: Atmosphere with high levels of water vapour. (back to top)

Hydraulic: Process using movement of liquid to produce energy. (back to top)

Hydrofuge: Water resistant, e.g. the hair that helps spiders walk on water and keep dry. (back to top)

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

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 to top)

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

I
Idiosoma: The abdomen section of an acarid’s body. (back to top)

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

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

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

Insectivore: An animal that eats insects. (back to top)

Invertebrates: Animals without backbones. (back to top)

Irrigated: Farmland with artificial channels running through it to supply water. (back to top)

Irritant: A substance that can cause swelling and discomfort to an animal. (back to top)

J
Jugum: A protuberance connecting a moth’s forewing to the hindwing. (back to top)

K
Kleptoparasitic: A feeding strategy involving the stealing of captured prey from another animal. (back to top)

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

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 to top)

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 to top)

Lens: Structure inside an eye used for focusing light. (back to top)

Lenticular: Shaped like a lentil! (back to top)

Lichens:Slow-growing plants which live on the surface of walls, rocks or trees. (back to top)

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

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

Maxillae: Mouthparts used for chewing. (back to top)

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

Mean: Average found by adding up a number of figures and then dividing the total by the number of figures added. (back to top)

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

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

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

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

Microfauna: Microscopic animals living in the soil. (back to top)

Micropterous: Having small wings or fins. (back to top)

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

Monochromatic: Having only one colour. (back to top)

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

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

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

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

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

Nectaries: Glands producing nectar in flowering plants. (back to top)

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

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

Nocturnal: Active at night. (back to top)

O
Ocelli: Simple eyes OR spots on the body that look like eyes. (back to top)

Ocular: To do with the eyes. (back to top)

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

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

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

Omnivorous: Animal eating a diet of both meat and vegetable matter. (back to top)

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

Orb: Object shaped like a sphere or globe. (back to top)

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

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

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

Oxygenated: Having high levels of oxygen. (back to top)

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 to top)

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

Paradoxical: Something that seems to contradict itself. (back to top)

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

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

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

Pasture: Grassy area used for grazing animals like cows. (back to top)

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

Pedipalps: A scorpion or spider's pincers. (back to top)

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 to top)

Penultimate: Second from last. (back to top)

Petiole: Thin segment joining the thorax and abdomen, especially in ants or wasps. In botany, it is also the word for a stalk attaching a leaf to a stem. (back to top)

Pharynx: section of digestive system immediately behind the mouth in invertebrates. (back to top)

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

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

Pigment: A natural colouring in animals or plants. (back to top)

Plantation: An area in which trees are planted to provide wood for human needs e.g. making furniture. (back to top)

Plumose: Having a feathery appearance. (back to top)

Podosoma: The front section of an acarid’s abdomen. (back to top)

Polar: Living in the regions of the North or South Poles. (back to top)

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

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

Population density: Number of individuals in a defined area. (back to top)

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

Posterior: Near or at the rear of the body. (back to top)

Prairie: Open grassland. (back to top)

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

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

Propodeum: First abdominal segment of wasps, actually fused to the thorax. (back to top)

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

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

Pseudopod: A structure like a leg that helps a larva move around. (back to top)

Pterygotes: Winged insects. (back to top)

Ptilinum: Structure on a fly's head that helps it break out of the pupal capsule. (back to top)

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

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

Respiration: The act of breathing. (back to top)

Respiratory organs: Parts of the body used for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. (back to top)

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

S
Saprophagous: Organism that feeds on rotting organic matter. (back to top)

Scape: The base segment of an antenna. (back to top)

Scopa: Arrangement of hairs on a bee’s stomach used for collecting pollen. (back to top)

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

Scrubland: Area containing small trees and undergrowth. (back to top)

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

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

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

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

Silviculture: The growing and cultivation of trees. (back to top)

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 to top)

Siphon: A tube through which air is taken in or expelled. (back to top)

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

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

Spinneret: Organ producing spider’s thread or silk. (back to top)

Spiracle: Opening on the body to breathe through. (back to top)

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

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

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

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

Sternum: The breastbone. (back to top)

Stigma: Thoracic openings used for breathing.(back to top)

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

Stylets: Mouthparts adapted for piercing. (back to top)

Styli: Appendages used for mating. (back to top)

Subspecies: Usually a population of a species isolated from others of its kind. (back to top)

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

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

Synchrotron: Machine used to study the structure of matter. (back to top)

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

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

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

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

Tactile: To do with the sense of touch. (back to top)

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

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

Termitary: The nest in which a termite colony lives. (back to top)

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

Terrarium: Glass tank for keeping small live animals in. (back to top)

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

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

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

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

Trachea: Windpipe, or tube for taking in air. (back to top)

Trapezoidal: Four-sided shape with no sides parallel to each other. (back to top)

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

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

Troglodyte: A cave dweller. (back to top)

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

V
Valves: A mechanism controlling the flow of fluid. (back to top)

Venation: An arrangement of veins. (back to top)

Vermiform: Shaped like a worm. (back to top)

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

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

Voracious: Eats a lot of food. (back to top)

W
Watercourse: A stream or brook, or manmade water channel. (back to top)

Wetland: Habitat where land and water meet, for example, seashore or marsh. (back to top)

Wireworm: The larva of a click beetle. (back to top)

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