Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology

Chapter 4

Chapter 43,669 wordsPublic domain

Cimicine: an oily fluid of disagreeable odor secreted by certain Heteroptera and used as a means of defense.

Cimier: the head crest in Pierid chrysalids.

Cinetus: with a colored band:= cingulatus.

Cinereous: ash-colored; gray tinged with blackish [ultra ash gray].

Cinerescent: ashen in color or appearance.

Cingula -um: a colored band or bands.

Circulate -us: having a cingulum or collar: see also cinetus.

Cinnabarine: [vermilion red].

Cinnamomeous: cinnamon brown [burnt sienna].

Cinema: see Thysanura, of which this forms a group including the bristle-tails, and for which it has been used as an equivalent.

Circinal: spirally rolled like a watch-spring or a butterfly tongue.

Circiter: about, or round-about.

Circular: round like a circle.

Circumgenital glands: small circular glands with an excretory orifice at tip, disposed in groups about the genital orifice in Diaspinae.

Circumoesophageal commissures: those cords or nerve fibres connecting the suboesophageal ganglion with the main trunk of nervous system.

Circumsepted: with a vein all around the wing.

Citrate: antennae with very long, curled lateral branches which may or may not be ciliated; see plumose.

Cirrose -us: with somewhat dense curled hair.

Cirrus: a curled lock of hair placed on a thin stalk.

Citrine -us: lemon yellow [chrome yellow].

Cladocerous: with branched horns or antennae.

Clasper: a chitinized process, free or attached to the inner sides of harpes, valves or other lateral pieces, serving to hold the female parts during copulation: = the harpers of some authors.

Claspette: in genitalia of male culicids, the inner basal lobe of side piece; q.v.

Clasp-filament: in male genitalia of culicids the articulated appendage or terminal segment of side-piece or clasp; sometimes bears an articulated point or apex and then = articulated apex.

Class: a division of the animal kingdom lower than a sub-kingdom and higher than an order: e.g. the "Class Insecta."

Classification: is the systematic arrangement of insects (or other animals or plants) in series showing their relation or agreement in structure, life habits or other characters forming the basis of the "classification."

Clathrate: latticed or lattice-like in appearance.

Claustrum: the structure uniting the wings in flight, whether by hooks, by a thickening of the margin, or by a jugum.

Clava: a club; the enlarged apical joints of a clubbed antenna: = clavola.

Claval suture: Hemiptera; at the base of hemelytra, separating the clavus.

Clavate: clubbed: thickening gradually toward the tip.

Clavate hairs: in Collembola, = tenent hairs.

Clavicornia: that series of beetles having the antennae more or less distinctly enlarged or clubbed at tip.

Clavicular lobe: Homoptera; that portion of hind wing behind anal veins.

Claviform: club-like in form; specifically, in Noctuid moths an elongate spot or mark extending from the t. a. line through the submedian interspace, toward and sometimes to the t.p. line.

Clavola: see clava.

Clavus: the club of an antenna lava and clavola: in Heteroptera, the oblong sclerite at the base of the inferior margin of the hemelytra: the knob at the end of the stigmal or radial veins in certain Hymenoptera.

Claws: the claw or hook-like structures at the end of the foot or tarsus.

Cleavage: see segmentation of egg.

Cleft: split: partly divided, longitudinally: in Coleopteran applied to claws so divided that the parts lie one above the other.

Clintheriform: shaped like a plate.

Cloaca: see rectum.

Clubbed: see clavate.

Clypeal suture: marks the division between clypeus and epicranium.

Clypeate: shield-like in form.

Clypeate constriction: applied when a surface is drawn in from the sides so as to produce a shield or saddle-like form.

Clypeo-frontal suture: = clypeal suture.

Clypeus: that portion of the head before or below the front, to which the labrum is attached anteriorly; in Diptera often visible below the margin of the mouth in front, as a more or less visor-shaped piece:= epistoma.

Clypeus-anterior: see ante-clypeus.

Clypeus posterior: see post-clypeus.

Coactus: condensed; of a short stout form.

Coadapted: formed so as to work together to one end; as the mandible and maxilla in Chrysopids, etc.

Coadunate: joined together at base; two or more joined together; said of elytra when permanently united at the suture.

Coagulate: to congeal; to change from a fluid to a jelly.

Coagulum: a clotted mass, as of blood.

Coalescent: united or grown together.

Coarctate: contracted: compacted: applied to that form of pupa in which all the members of the future adult are concealed by a thickened, usually cylindric case or covering, which is often the hardened skin of the larva: beginning with a narrow base, then dilated and thickened.

Cocardes: retractile vesicular bodies on each side of the thorax in certain Malachidae.

Coccineous: cochineal red; dark red [carmine].

Cochleiformis: formed like a snail shell.

Cochleate: spirally twisted like a screw or a univalve shell.

Cocoon: a covering, composed partly or wholly of silk or other viscid fibre, spun or constructed by many larvae as a protection to the pupa.

Cocoon-breaker: structures or processes of the pupa, often on the head, by means of which it works its way out of the cocoon.

Coecal: ending blindly, or in a closed tube or pouch.

Coecum: a blind sac or tube: applied to a series of appendages opening into the alimentary canal at the junction of the gizzard and chylific ventricle: see caecum; the two are used interchangeably.

Coeloblast: the endoderm in the narrower sense.

Coelom: the body cavity.

Coelomic cavity: the space between the viscera and the body wall.

Coelom-sac: the cavity containing the viscera: in embryology one of a pair of closed sacs, arising in the mesoderm of each segment of the embryo and giving rise to more or less of the coelom of the adult.

Coenogonous: oviparous at one season of the year, ovoviviparous at another, as in Aphididae.

Coeruleus -eous: sky-blue: see caeruleus.

Coincident: when two wing veins run together or lie, one in continuation of the other so as to appear like one.

Coleoptera: sheath-winged: an order with the primaries coriaceous, used as a cover only, meeting in a straight line dorsally; mouth mandibulate; pro-thorax free; transformation complete: the beetles: the term has also been applied to the two elytra together.

Collar: in general any structure between the head and thorax: specifically, in Hymenoptera, the neck; in Diptera, may mean the neck, the sclerites attached to the thorax, the thorax itself, or its processes (ante furca): in Coleoptera, is the narrowed thorax; in Lepidoptera, applied to the sclerites attached to the thorax and which shield the neck.

Collembola: an ordinal term applied to species which are apterous; have no metamorphoses; have variably developed abdominal saltatorial appendages and a peculiar ventral tube at base: the spring-tails.

Colleterial gland: see Colleterium.

Colleterium: a glandular structure accessory to the oviduct, secreting the viscid material used in cementing the eggs together.

Collophore: the sucker-like organ extended from the underside of the abdomen in Collembola.

Collum: the neck or collar: the slender connection between head and thorax in Hymenoptera and Diptera; in Coleoptera, the posterior, narrow part of the head or even the thorax: loosely used.

Colon: the large intestine; that usually enlarged portion of the alimentary canal before the rectum.

Columella: a little rod, pillar or central axis.

Columnar: cylindric, but tapering toward one end.

Comate -us: only the upper part of head, or vertex, covered with hair. Commensal: one who eats at another's table: applied to species that feed on the surplus supply of another, without destroying the owner of the supply.

Commensalism: applied to this manner of living and eating together.

Comminute: to grind up fine: to reduce to minute particles.

Commissure: the nerves connecting two ganglia: the point of meeting or union of two bodies: a bridge connecting two bodies or structures; e.g. tracheal tubes.

Common: of frequent occurrence: occurring on two adjacent parts: a band or fascia is common when it crosses both primaries and secondaries.

Communal: applied to life or dwelling in colonies like ants and bees.

Comose: ending in a tuft or brush.

Complanate: compressed: flattened above and below: = deplanate.

Complemental: applied to sexed forms in the Termitidae, capable of reproduction, but which do not reach the winged stage; the females are less fertile than the forms that become winged and several may be used in one nest to replace a lost queen or mature female.

Complicant: when one elytron extends over the other and partially covers it.

Complicate: longitudinally laid in folds: intricate as opposed to simple.

Component: one part of a combined whole.

Compound: made up of many similar or dissimilar parts.

Compressed: flattened laterally.

Concatenate: linked together in a chain-like series.

Concave: hollowed out; the interior of a sphere as opposed to the outer or convex surface: concave veins are those that occupy the bottoms of troughs or grooves on the upper surface of a wing; see convex veins.

Concavo-convex: hollowed out or concave on one surface, rounded or convex on the other; like a small segment of a hollow sphere.

Concentrated: gathered together at one point; intensified or strengthened by evaporation.

Conchate: applied to the shell-like inflation of the auricle in the cephalic tibia of Orthoptera.

Concinne: neat; fine.

Concolorous: of the same general color.

Concretion: a massing together of parts or particles.

Concurrent: applied to a vein which arises separately, runs into another and does-not again separate.

Conduplicate: doubled or folded together.

Condyle: a process which articulates the base of the mandible to the head: in general any process by means of which an appendage is articulated into a pan or cavity.

Confertim: closely clustered or crowded.

Conflect: crowded; clustered; opposed to sparse.

Confluent: running together; as of two macula when united in one outline.

Confused: a marking with indefinite outlines: a running together as of lines and spots without definite pattern.

Congener: a species belonging to the same genus.

Congeneric: applied to a species agreeing in all characters of generic value with others compared with it.

Congested: heaped together; crowded: distended.

Conglobate: gathered together in a ball or sphere.

Conglobate gland: a glandular appendage of male sexual organs in Orthoptera, opening upon one of the external structures.

Conglomerate: congregated; massed together.

Conic -al: cylindrical, with a flat base, tapering to a point.

Conico-acuminate: in the form of a long, pointed cone.

Coniferous: a surface which bears cone-like processes.

Conjugate: to bring together in pairs: consisting of a single pair. Conjugation: the union of pairs; usually applied to the merging of the male and female elements.

Conjunctiva: the membrane uniting the abdominal sclerites.

Conjunctivus: a mandibular sclerite between the molar and basalis.

Conjunctura: the articulation of a wing to the thorax.

Connate: united at base, or along the whole length.

Connexivum: the prominent abdominal margin of Het., at junction of dorsal and ventral plates: also used like pulmonarium, q.v.

Connivent: converging: approaching together: wings so folded in repose that they unite perfectly at their corresponding margins.

Consperse: irregularly dotted or sprinkled.

Conspicuous: striking: easily seen at a glance.

Conspurcatus: confusedly sprinkled with discolored or dark spots.

Constituent: a part or element of a whole.

Constricted: drawn in: narrowed medially and dilated toward the extremities.

Contiguous: so near together as to touch.

Contorted: twisted: obliquely incumbent upon each other.

Contour: the outline or periphery.

Contract -ed: to draw or drawn together: to reduce, or reduced in size by contraction.

Contractile: that which may be drawn together or contracted or which has the power of contracting.

Contrasting: appearing in sharp relief or contrast; as one color or marking against another.

Converging: approaching each other toward the tip.

Convergence: the approaching or drawing together at tips.

Convex: the outer curved surface of a segment of a sphere; opposed to concave: convex veins are those which occupy the summits of ridges on the upper surface of - wing; see concave veins.

Convolute: rolled or twisted spirally: also applied to wings when they are wrapped around the body.

Coprophagus: feeding on excrement or on decaying vegetable matter of an excrementitious character.

Copula, Copulation: the act of sexual union.

Copulate: to unite in sexual intercourse.

Copulation chamber: a chamber or cell excavated by certain Scolytid beetles in their burrows, in which copulation takes place: = rammel-kammer.

Coralline: a pale pinkish red [salmon].

Corbel: an ovate area at the distal end of the tibia in Coleoptera, surrounded by a fringe of minute bristles; when the articular cavity is on the side, above the tip, the corbel is closed; when the cavity is at the extreme tip, the corbel is open.

Corbicula -um: a concave, smooth space, edged by a fringe of hairs arising from the margins of the posterior tibiae in bees, forming the pollen basket its function is to hold the collected pollen in place.

Corbiculate: having corbicula.

Cordate: heart-shaped; triangular, with the corners of the base rounded: not necessarily emarginate at the middle of base.

Cordiform: = cordate.

Coriaceo-reticulate: with impressed reticulations giving a leather-like appearance.

Coriaceous: leather-like: thick, tough and somewhat rigid.

Coriarious: leather-like in sculpture or texture.

Corium: the elongate middle section of the hemelytra which extends from base to membrane below the embolium.

Cornea: the outer surface of the compound eye as a whole, and of each individual facet.

Corneal lenses: are the individual lens-like structures of which the cornea of the compound eye is composed.

Corneous: of a horny or chitinous substance; resembling horn in texture.

Cornicles: the honey tubes in plant-lice: = corniculus.

Corniculi: the little horny tips or pieces of the ovipositor in Orthoptera; see valves.

Corniculus -i: = cornicles; honey-tubes; q.v.

Corniform: like the horn of an ox: a long, mucronate or pointed process.

Cornute -us: having horns or horn-like processes.

Corona: a crown or crown-like processes.

Coronate: with a crown-like tip or termination.

Coronet: a small crown or corona.

Coronula: a circle or semicircle of spines at the apex of the tibia.

Corpus: the body as a whole.

Corpus adiposum: the mass of fat tissue often found in larvae.

Corpuscle: a small cell; usually applied to blood cells.

Correlate: to bring together into relation or correspondence.

Correlated: derived from the same ancestral form: said of two or more features or qualities which bear a direct or an inverse relation to each other, but without implying a relation of cause and effect.

Correlative: of a correlated nature; see correlated.

Corrode: to eat away gradually, as by rust or decay.

Corrodentia: an ordinal term meaning gnawers: net-veined or wingless: mandibulate, mouth formed for gnawing; transformation incomplete; thorax incompletely agglutinated: = Psocoptera: includes Termitidae, Psocidae and Mallophaga. {Scanner's comment: These four groups are now placed in totally separate orders, and not families as these names imply}

Corrugated: wrinkled; with alternate ridges and channels.

Corselet: the thorax in Coleoptera.

Cortical: relating to the cortex or outer skin.

Corticinus: bark-like in sculpture, texture or color [vandyke brown].

Corvinus: crow-black; deep, shining black with a greenish lustre.

Coryphatus: = capillatus.

Corysterium: an abdominal glandular structure in certain females, secreting a glutinous covering for the eggs.

Cosmopolitan: species that occur throughout most of the world.

Cosmotropical: species that occur throughout the tropics.

Costa: any elevated ridge that is rounded at its crest: the thickened anterior margin of any wing, but usually the primaries: in Comstock, the vein extending along the anterior margin of the wing from base to the point of junction with subcosta.

Costal area: the area behind costal vein; see also, costal field.

Costal cell: the area inclosed between the costal and sub-costal veins: in the plural, Comstock, are all the cells anteriorly margined by the costa; in Hymenoptera (Norton), includes the 1st, 2d and sub-costal; of Packard, the 3d costal = 2d radial 1, and radial 2: in Diptera (Will.), it is the 2d costal.

Costal field: Orthoptera; that region of the tegmina adjacent to the anterior margin or costa: = anterior field.

Costal fold: in the males of some Hesperidae, a membranous flap that may be opened to expose the androconia.

Costal margin: the anterior margin of a wing whether it is really costate or not.

Costal membrane: Hymenoptera; the surface of wing in front of costal vein.

Costal vein: Lepidoptera; runs close to and parallel with the costal margin, extending from base to the margin before the apex; always simple and often absent in the secondaries; is vein 12 of the numerical series on primaries; vein 8 on secondaries: = subcosta (Comst.).

Costate: ribbed; marked with elevated thickened lines.

Costula: Hymenoptera; a small ridge separating the externo-median meta-thoracic area into two parts.

Costulatus: less prominently ribbed than costate.

Cotyla: the articular pan; the cup or socket of a ball and socket joint.

Cotypes: are all the specimens before the describer when a species is named, no single one being selected as the type: the type in such case equals the sum of the cotypes: see paratype.

Coxa -ae: the basal segment of the leg, by means of which it is articulated to the body.

Coxal cavity: the opening or space in which the Coxa articulates; in Coleoptera the cavity is open when the epimera do not extend to the sternum; closed or entire when the epimera reach the sternum or join medially as in Rhynchophora; the cavities are separated when the prosternum extends between them, confluent when it does not: see acetabulum.

Coxal glands: eversible glandular structures at base of legs; well developed in some Thysanurans, modified variously in higher orders.

Coxal stylets: short, leg-like, jointed appendages on the underside of the abdominal segments in Thysanura.

Crag: the neck: = cervix.

Cranium: the head or skull except the neck; sometimes limited to the fixed parts above the clypeo-frontal suture.

Crassus: thick; tumid.

Crateriform: like a shallow funnel or deep bowl.

Creber: closely set.

Cremaster: a stout spine, process or hooked area at the hind end of pupae in Lepidoptera.

Crenate: scalloped, with rounded teeth.

Crenulate: with small scallops, evenly rounded and rather deeply curved.

Crepitation: a crackling sound or the production of such as by discharge of vapor or "bombarding": a cracking or creaking.

Crepuscular: active or flying at dusk.

Crescentiform: like a lunule or crescent.

Crescentric: lunulate.

Crest: a prominent, longitudinal carina on the upper surface of any part of the head or body.

Crested: see cristate.

Cretaceous: chalky white: the third, uppermost and latest of the three great divisions of the mesozoic or secondary rocks.

Cribrate: pierced with closely set, small holes.

Cribriform: with perforations like those of a sieve.

Crineous: dark-brown, with a slight admixture of yellow and gray.

Crinite -us: with tufts of long thin hair: see lanuginose.

Crispate -us: with a wrinkled or fluted margin.

Crista: a ridge or crest.

Cristate: with a prominent carina or crest on the upper surface::= crested.

Cristiform: in the form of a sharp ridge or crest.

Cristula: a small crest.

Cristulate: with little crescent-like ridges or crests.

Croceous: saffron yellow; yellow with an admixture of red [pale cadmium yellow].

Crocus: =croceous.

Crook: the hook or recurved tip of the antenna in Hesperidae.

Crop: the dilated portion of the alimentary canal behind the gullet which serves to receive and hold the food previous to its slower passage through the digestive tract: = ingluvies.

Crotchets: the curved spines or hooks on the prolegs of caterpillars and on the cremaster of pupae.

Crown: the top of head in Lepidoptera; also used as = coronet or corona.

Cruciate: shaped like a cross; applied to wings when the inner margins lie one over the other; or to incumbent wings that overlie only at the apex: in Diptera, applied to bristles when they cross in direction.

Cruciato-complicatus: folded crosswise: incumbent wings when the inner margins overlap; not well distinguished from cruciate.

Crura: the legs or, more specifically, the thighs.

Crura cerebri: two large cords that connect the supra- with the sub-oesophageal ganglion.

Crus: a leg or leg-like structure.

Crustaceous: hard, like the shell of a crab.

Crypto: hidden, concealed.

Cryptocerata: a division of Heteroptera with small antennae concealed in a groove under the bead: = adeloceratous: see gymnocerata.

Cryptogastra: with the venter or belly covered or concealed.

Cryptopentamera: feet 5-jointed, the 4th joint small and concealed.

Cryptotetramera: feet 4-jointed, one of them small and concealed.

Cryptothorax: a supposed thoracic ring between meso- and meta-thorax.

Crypts: minute secretory follicles or cavities: specifically, large gland-like structures between the epithelial cells in chylific ventricle.

Crystalline: transparent, like crystal.

Crystalline cone: a conical structure below the cornea, imbedded in pigment cells of the compound eye: also termed Crystalline lens.

Ctenidium: a comb-like structure occurring on any part of an insect.

Cubital: referring or belonging to the cubits.

Cubital cell: the wing area between the cubits and anal vein; in the plural, all the cells bounded anteriorly by the cubits or its branches (Comst.); in Diptera (Schiner), = radial 3 (Comst.), = 3d posterior cell (Loew); in Hymenoptera (Norton), = radial 3, 4 and 5 (Comst.).

Cubital forks: the branching or points of separation of the branches of the cubits.

Cubital nerve or vein: see cubits.

Cubitus: of Comstock, is the 5th in the series of longitudinal veins extending from base, and usually two branched before reaching outer margin: in Orthoptera; = the internomedian and ulnar: in Neuroptera, a main longitudinal vein next behind the medius and before the anal: the tibia of the anterior leg.

Cuckoo spit: liquid in the form of bubbles produced by members of the family Cercopidae and which often conceals the producer.

Cucullate: hooded; somewhat hood-shaped.

Cucullus: a hood: see capillitium.

Cuilleron: see alula.

Culicifuge: any preparation for driving away gnats or mosquitoes.

Culmen: the longitudinal carina of a caterpillar.

Cultellus: one of the blade-like lancets in piercing flies: = the mandibles of some authors.

Cultrate -iform: shaped like a pruning knife.

Cumulate: in groups or heaps.

Cumulus: a group or heap; as of cells in a developing ovum.

Cuneate, Cuneiform: wedge-shaped; elongate triangular.

Cuneus: Hymenoptera; the small triangular area at the end of the embolium of hemelytra: Odonata, the small triangle of the vertex between the compound eyes.

Cupreous: the metallic red of pure shining copper.

Cupules: the sucker-like processes covering the under surface of the tarsi in male Dytiscidce.

Cupuliform: cup-shaped: like a little cup: = cyathiform.

Cursoria: in Orthoptera, that series in which the legs are formed for running (roaches, etc.).

Cursorial: formed for running.

Curvate: curved.

Curvinervate: wings with the veins distinctly curved, like some Psocidae.