Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology
Chapter 6
Entomophilous: insect-loving: applied to plants especially adapted for pollination by insects.
Entomophytous: referring to plants produced in or on an insect: see Entomogenous.
Entomosis: a disease caused by a parasitic insect.
Entomotaxy: the preservation and preparation of insects for study.
Entomotomy: that science which deals with internal structure of insects.
Entomotomist: a student of insect structure.
Entosternum: the internal processes from the sternum.
Entothorax: applied to the apodemes or processes extending inwardly from the sternal sclerites: see apophysis.
Entotrophous: with the mouth parts buried in the head:= entognathous: see ectotrophous.
Entozoa: those animals that live within the body of others.
Environment: the sum of the influences surrounding or acting upon an organism.
Enzyme: a ferment secreted by a cell or a gland.
Epalpate: having no palpi.
Ephebic: referring to the winged, adult stage.
Ephemerida: May-flies: an ordinal term used for insects with net-veined wings, held vertically when at rest, not folded; mouth mandibulate, not functionally developed: thorax loosely agglutinated; abdomen with anal filaments: metamorphosis incomplete.
Ephemeroptera: briefly winged: = ephemerida; q.v.
Epiblast: the outer germ layer of the embryo.
Epicranial: relating or pertaining to the epicranium.
Epicranial lobe: in caterpillars, the lateral, superior convex lobe of the head.
Epicranial plate: in some larvae a plate-like structure forming the epicranium.
Epicranial suture: the line of junction of the two procephalic lobes.
Epicranium: the upper part of the head from the front to the neck: often used to include front, vertex and genae:= calva.
Epideme: see articulatory epideme.
Epiderma -is: the cellular layer of the skin, underlying and secreting the cuticula: incorrectly applied to the outer skin or cuticle.
Epidermata: abnormal excrescences or outgrowths from the skin.
Epididymis: the convoluted efferent ducts, massed at the posterior part of the testes.
Epigastrium: the first entire ventral sclerite of the abdomen.
Epigenesis: the doctrine of growth from an undifferentiated germ, as opposed to preformation, which implies development from already existing rudiments.
Epigenetic: the period after the union of the male and female elements, during which organs are forming.
Epiglossa: = epipharynx; q.v.
Epiglottis: = epipharynx; q.v.
Epilabrum: a sclerite at each side of the labrum: specifically applied in myriapods.
Epilobe: of mentum in Carabidae, really corresponds to a partially divided ligula: a lateral appendage of a bilobed mentum.
Epimera -eron: the posterior lateral thoracic sclerites; usually small, narrow or triangular.
Epiopticon: the second ganglionic swelling of the optic tract: see opticon.
Epipharyngeal: belonging or relating to the epipharynx.
Epipharyngeal sclerites: in bees; a pair of strap-like pieces extending backward from the two sides of the base of epipharynx: see hypopharyngeal sclerites.
Epipharynx: an organ, probably of taste, attached to the inner surface of the labium and supposed to correspond to the palate of higher animals Epiglossa or epiglottis.
Epiphysis: a lappet-like process covering an excavation on the fore tibia of many Lepidoptera.
Epipleural: the deflexed or inflexed portions of the elytra, immediately beneath the edge: the inflexed portions of the pronotum are sometimes called prothoracic epipleura: as generally used, the term is incorrectly applied to the entire bent under margin of the elytra.
Epipleural fold: the raised lower edge of the epipleura: see hypomera.
Epiploön: see caul.
Epipygium: the dorsal arch of the last abdominal segment.
Episternites: the upper pair of corneous appendages forming the ovipositor in grasshoppers.
Episternum: the anterior and larger lateral thoracic sclerite between the sternum and notum.
Epistoma -is: the lower face between the mouth and eyes: that sclerite immediately behind or above the labrum, whether it be clypeus or an intermediate piece: in Diptera, that part of the face between the front and the labrum; the oral margin and an indefinite space immediately contiguous thereto and so = peristoma: in Odonata; = clypeus: = hypostoma.
Epithelium: the layer of cells which covers a surface or lines a cavity.
Epizoa: insects that infest the body surface of animals.
Epizoötic: living or parasitic on animals from the outside or on the surface.
Epomiae: the elevated margin of an oblique furrow in the propleurae for the reception of the front femora; Hymenoptera.
Epupillate: an ocellate spot included by a colored ring, but destitute of a pupil or central spot.
Equal: of the same length, size or shape: the superfices when they are without inequalities.
Equitant: laminated: folding one upon the other.
Erect: standing upright; not necessarily perpendicular.
Erectile: capable of being erected; applied to an appendage, a hair or other process, or to any tissue which may be distended and made rigid.
Erecto-patent: the wings of Hesperids when at rest; primaries erect, secondaries horizontal.
Eremochaetus: Diptera in which there is a general absence of bristles.
Ergatandrous: applied to ants with worker-like males.
Ergatogynous: applied to ants with worker-like females.
Ergatoid: sexually capable, wingless ants, resembling workers.
Ericeticolous: living in poor, sandy or gravelly places.
Eroded -sus: gnawed; a margin with irregular teeth and emarginations.
Eruca: broadly a larva: more specifically a caterpillar.
Eruciform: like a caterpillar in form or appearance.
Erucina: the caterpillar-like larvae of sawflies and the like.
Erucivorous: a feeder on caterpillars; said of parasites.
Erythrinus: red; nearly arterial blood-red: carmine, a little diluted.
Erythrinus: deep brick-red, tending to blood-red [vermilion with a little Indian red].
Escutcheon: the scutellum in Coleoptera.
Essential character: see specific character.
Ethology: see ecology.
Eucephalous: with a well-developed head, bearing the normal appendages: applied to certain dipterous larvae.
Eucone: a compound eye in which the individual ocelli have crystalline cones see acone.
Euorthoptera: the Orthoptera excluding the Dermaptera.
Euplexoptera: with beautifully folded wings: an ordinal term applied to the ear-wigs.
Eous or -eus: as a suffix, indicates the possession of the quality of the stem word: e.g. membraneous, like a membrane in texture.
Eutracheata: applied to articulates which, like the insects, have a well-developed tracheal system.
Evaginate: extruded by eversion; turned inside out when extruded.
Evagination: an extrusion formed by eversion or turning inside out.
Evanescent: disappearing; becoming gradually less.
Eversible: capable of being turned inside out.
Evident: easily seen or recognized.
Ex: prefix = A and E as privatives: also means from or out of.
Exarate -us: sulcated: sculptured.
Exarticulate: without distinct joints.
Exasperate -us: rough with irregular elevations.
Excalcarate: without spurs.
Excaudate: see ecaudate.
Excavate: with a depression that is not the segment of a circle.
Excentric: not in the centre; revolving or arranged about a point that is not central.
Excision: with a deep cut: a notch or other cut-out part.
Excrementaceous -titious: made up of or resembling excrement.
Excrescence: an outgrowth or elevation; usually abnormal.
Excretion: the act of getting rid of waste products: any material or substance produced by any secretory glands or structures and which is voided or otherwise sent out from them.
Excretory: those structures concerned in ridding the body of waste products.
Excurrent: attenuate, narrowly prolonged.
Excurved: curved outwards.
Ex larva: from or out of the larva: usually applied to specimens that have been bred from collected larvae.
Exochorion: that part of the chorion derived from the ectoderm: the outer layer of the chorion.
Exochorium: Heteroptera; a narrow marginal part of the hemelytra.
Exoderm: the outer skin or crust.
Exoloma: the apical margin of the wings.
Exophytic: relating to the outside of plant tissue.
Exoskeleton: the entire body wall, to the inner side of which muscles are attached.
Exotic: not a natives of the place where found: an introduced species: also any species occurring in any country outside of the limits of the country whose fauna is under consideration.
Exotoky: is applied to that form of reproduction where the eggs are developed outside of the body of the insect and without care by the mother see endotoky.
Ex ova: from or out of the egg: applied to specimens that have been bred from the egg stage.
Expanded: spread or flattened out: applied to Lepidoptera when set for the cabinet.
Expanse: the distance between the apices or other widest point of the wings when fully spread.
Expansio alarum: the wing stretch; see expanse.
Expiratory: relating to the act of expiration, when the abdomen is contracted and the air contained in the abdominal tracheae is presumably forced out of them.
Explanate: spread out and flattened; applied to a margin.
Explicate: unfolded; open; without folds or plica.
Exsculptate -tus: a surface with irregular, more or less longitudinal depressions, as if carved.
Exscutellate: having no scutel.
Exserted: protruded; projecting beyond the body or over a given point.
Exsertion: a protrusion: an extension of a line or other ornamentation beyond its ordinary course.
Extended: spread out: not lying one upon the other.
Extense: extended: expanded.
Extension plate: a structure at the base of the pulvillus whose function it is to extend it.
Extension sole: the pad-like pulvillus which may be extended by the extension plate through the pressure plate.
Extensor: that which extends or straightens out; applied to muscles.
Extenuate: to make or to become weak, thin or slender.
Exterior: the outside.
Exterior margin: the outer margin; sometimes used for costal margin.
External: belonging to or on the outside.
External area: Hymenoptera; the upper of the three cells or areas of the metanotum, between the median and lateral longitudinal carina, first lateral basal area.
External median area: Hymenoptera; the median of the three cells or areas between the median and lateral longitudinal carinae: = second lateral area.
Externomedial vein: in Hymenoptera (Norton) = radius (Comst.); in Orthoptera, = media (Comst.).
Externo-median nerve: the humeral and discoidal veins together.
Extra-ocular: remote from or beyond the eyes.
Extremity: the point most remote from base.
Extrorse -um: toward the outside.
Extrude: to turn or force out.
Exude: to ooze or flow slowly through minute openings.
Exuvia -iae -ium: the cast skin of a larval insect: in Diaspinae the larval skin when cast and incorporated in the scale.
Exuviate: to cast the skin: to moult.
Exuviation: the act of molting: the cast-off skin or exuvium.
Eyes: the organs of sight, composed of numerous facets, situated, one on each side of the head: the term is properly applied to compound eyes only but is sometimes used to designate also the simple eyes or ocelli.
F
Face or Facies: the upper or outer surface of any part or appendage: the front of the head between the compound eyes above the mouth to the vertex; usually applied to insects in which the head is -vertical: in bees extends between the eyes to the base of the antennae; in the Hymenoptera generally the area between antenne and clypeus: in flies the area between base of antennae, the oral margin, eyes and cheeks.
Facet: a small face or surface: one of the parts, areas or lens-like divisions of the compound eye.
Facial angle: the angle formed by the junction of the face and vertex.
Facial bristles: Diptera; a series on either side of the middle portion of the face, above the vibrissae, along the facialia.
Facial carinae: applied to both the carinae of the frontal costa and the accessory (lateral) carinae of the face; but usually restricted to the accessory carinae in Orthoptera.
Facial depression: = antennal fovea, q.v.
Facialium -ia: Diptera; that portion of the face between the lower part of the frontal fissure and the antennal fovea.
Facial quadrangle: in bees; the quadrangle bounded laterally by the eyes, above by a line between their summits and below by a similar line between their lowest points.
Facial ridges: Diptera; the elevated lateral borders of antennal grooves.
Facial tubercle: Diptera; a median convexity below middle of face.
Facies: the face: the general appearance or impression.
Falcate: sickle-shaped; convexly curved: a wing when deeply excavated below the apex so as to leave the latter acute and a little curved.
Falciform: curved like a sickle.
False legs: = spurious legs; = prolegs; q.v.
Family: a division of classification including a number of genera agreeing in one or a set of characters and so closely related that they are apparently descended from one stem: opinionative and indicated by the termination idae.
Farctus: fully filled.
Farinaceous: mealy: applied to powdery looking wings and surfaces.
Farinose: dotted with many single, flour-like spots: mealy.
Fascia: a transverse band or broad line; it is common when it crosses both wings or wing covers.
Fasciate: banded transversely.
Fascicle -ulus: a bundle of hair, threads or fibres.
Fasciculate: bundled; clustered as in a bundle; tufted: a surface when covered with bundles of long hair.
Fastigiate: flat-topped and of equal height: also applied to elytra that extend a little beyond the abdomen.
Fastigium: Orthoptera; the extreme point or front of vertex.
Fat-body: is the mass of oil or fat cells found, especially in larvae, surrounding the alimentary canal and some other internal organs.
Fatiscent: with cracks, crevices or openings.
Fauna: the assemblage of animals inhabiting a region or country.
Favose: with large deep holes, like the cells of a honeycomb.
Favus: a cell like that of a honeycomb.
Fecula: the excrement of insects.
Fecundation: the making fertile; as an egg by a spermatozoön.
Feeler: commonly applied to antennae; q.v.
Feelers: tactile organs: the term is usually applied to the antennae, but sometimes to the palpi, as mouth-feelers.
Feet: the legs or organs of locomotion; one pair attached to each thoracic segment; composed of coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia and tarsus only; plural of foot; q.v.
Female: designated by "O+" the astronomical sign for Venus: that sex in which the ova are developed. {Scanner's comment: The sign for Venus being an orthogonal cross or plus sign hanging vertically below a circle.}
Femina: the female, or belonging to that sex.
Femorate -us: with abnormal or unusually developed femora or thighs.
Femoro-tibial: pertaining to both femur and tibia or to the articulation between them.
Femur -ora: the thigh: usually the stoutest segment of the leg, articulated to the body through trochanter and coxa and bearing the tibia at its distal end: in Coccidae and quite commonly, the femur and trochanter are considered as one, for measuring purposes.
Fenestra: a window; a transparent glassy spot or mark; a pellucid mark in a vein: a small, pale, membranous area at the base of the antenna in roaches.
Fenestrate: with transparent or window-like naked spots as in the wings of some Lepidoptera.
Fenestrate membrane: of the compound eye is at the base of the ommatidia, at their junction with the optic nerve; see retina.
Ferreous -eus: the metallic gray of polished iron.
Ferrugineous -ous, -eus, -osus: rusty red-brown [Dragon's blood, but brighter].
Ferrugino-testaeeous: a rusty yellow brown: a mixture of rusty red with dull yellow brown.
Fertilization: takes place when a spermatozoön enters through the micropyle of an ovum and unites with the cell nucleus: loosely applied like copulation or to its completion.
Festivus: variegated with bright colors.
Festooned: arranged in loops as if hung from nails.
Fibre: a thread-like structure of any tissue.
Fibrilla: rod or sliver-like nerve elements, often grouped like a bundle of short threads.
Fibrin: a proteid compound making up a large part of the muscular tissue: also found in blood and other body liquids.
Fibrinogen: a proteid substance of the blood and other body fluids, concerned in the production of fibrin.
Fibroin: a chemical compound found in silk, cobwebs and the like.
Fifth longitudinal vein: Diptera (Will.); = media 3 (Comst.).
Filament: a thread: a long slender process of equal diameter throughout: an elongated appendage.
Filariasis: a disease caused by the presence of minute worms or Filaria, transmitted by mosquitoes. {Scanner's comment: Nowadays it is known that many kinds of filariasis are transmitted by other species of flies, in particular Simuliidae and Tabanidae}
Filate: Diptera; antennae that are simple, without lateral hair or dilation: thread-like.
Filator: the silk spinning structure of caterpillars.
File: the diagonal ridged vein near the base of the tegmina in crickets, used in stridulating: in general any structure wherever situated that serves the same purpose.
Filicornia: insects with thread-like antennae; e.g. in Coleopteran, the Carabidae.
Filiform: thread-like: slender and of equal diameter.
Filippi's glands: a pair of secondary glands, opening into the silk glands of caterpillars near their anterior end.
Fillet: a transverse, raised structure between the antennae in Lepidoptera.
Filose: ending in a thread-like process.
Fimbria: thick, ciliated hair at the termination of any part: fringes.
Fimbriate: a margin or process when set with a fringe of hair closely placed.
Finger: of maxilla, is the digitus, q.v.
First clypeus: see post clypeus.
First inner apical nervure: in Hymenoptera (Nort.); is cubitus 1, from media 4, to first anal (Comst.).
First lateral suture: Odonata; starts from beneath base of front wing behind humeral suture and meets it behind second coxa.
First longitudinal vein: in Diptera; - radius 1 (Comst.).
First submarginal cross-nervure: Hymenoptera; part of the media and the radio-medial cross vein (Comst.).
Fissate: divided or split: with fissures or cracks.
Fissile -is: cleft or divided; as the wings in plume-moths: also used for lamellate.
Fissiparous: applied to that form of asexual generation in which the parent divides; each part becoming a new individual.
Fissure: a crevice: a narrow longitudinal opening: a slit.
Fissus: cleft: longitudinally divided nearly to base.
Fistula: a slender tube: specifically applied to the channel formed by the union of the two parts of proboscis in Lepidoptera.
Fistular: like a slender, cylindrical tube.
Flabellate: with long flat processes folding like a fan.
Flabelliform: fan-shaped.
Flabellum: a fan: a leafed structure: the transparent lobe at the end of the glossa in bees: also used as = flagellum; q.v.
Flabs: the lobes at the tip of the dipterous mouth:= labella; q.v.
Flaccid: feeble: limber: lax.
Flagelliform: whip-like; applied to a process.
Flagellum: that part of the antenna beyond the pedicel: a whip or whip-like process: the tail-like process of a spermatozoön.
Flammate -eus: flaming or fiery red [vermilion intensified].
Flange: a projecting rim or edge.
Flank: the sides of the thorax: the pleura.
Flaring: widening out like the mouth of a trumpet.
Flavescent: somewhat yellow.
Flavid: yellowed: sulphur yellow.
Flavo-testaceous: light yellow-brown: almost luteous.
Flavous -us: sulphur yellow [gamboge].
Flavo-vixens: green verging upon yellow [apple green + chrome yellow].
Flex: to bend: to curve back.
Flexible: pliable; with elastic properties.
Flexile -is: capable of being bent at an angle without breaking: flexible.
Flexuous -ose: almost zig-zag, without acute angles but more acute at angles than undulating: differs from sinuate in being alternately bent and nearly straight.
Flexor: that which bends; applied to muscles.
Flocculus -i: a hairy or bristly appendage on the posterior coxa of some Hymenoptera.
Floccus: a tuft of wool or wool-like hair.
Flosculiferous: species that bear a flosculus.
Flosculus: a small, tubular lunulate anal organ with a central style, in certain Fulgorids.
Fluviatile: inhabiting the margins of running streams.
Fly-blows: eggs or young maggots of flesh flies: meat is fly-blown when such eggs or larvae have been deposited on it.
Flying-hairs: very long slender surface hairs set in punctures.
Foetid glands: glandular structures from which a foul smelling liquid may be ejected.
Foliaceous: leaf-like, or resembling a leaf.
Folioles: leaf-like processes from a margin or protuberance.
Follicle: = cocoon, q.v.: a cellular sac or tube, as of a gland or ovary.
Folliculate: enclosed in a case, cocoon or follicle.
Food reservoir: Lepidoptera, a blind sac or diverticulum from the bind part of oesophagus lying in abdomen dorsal to the stomach.
Foot: the tarsus, q.v.; improperly used to = leg; but in the plural form refers to legs rather than tarsi: see feet.
Foot-shield: in caterpillars, the chitinous plate on outer side of abdominal feet.
Foot-stalk: of the maxilla, is the stipes.
Foramen: an opening in the body wall for the passage of a vessel or nerve: any opening at an apex: the opening of a cocoon.
Foramen magnum; the opening on the posterior surface of the head to give passage to those structures that extend from head to thorax occipital foramen.
Foramina: small openings in the body wall: in Orthoptera, the auditory organs on the anterior tibiae.
Forceps: hook or pincer-like processes terminating the abdomen, like specialized appendages of ear-wigs: similar processes in the male, used as clasping organs in copulation.
Forcipate: bearing forceps or similar structures.
Forcipiform: having the form of forceps or pincers.
Fore: anterior.
Foregut: extends from the mouth to the end of gizzard; its epithelium being formed from the ectodermal invagination known as the stomodaeum.
Forehead: in Mallophaga, the head in front of the mandibles and antennae.
Fore-intestine: =foregut, q.v.
Forficate: = forcipate, q.v.
Forks: Trichoptera; forks of veins in apical part of wing, numbered 1, 2, 3, etc.
Form: applied to representatives of a species which differ from the normal or type, in some uniform character; it is seasonal if it occurs at a period different from the type; dimorphic if there is an alternation of generations or two color patterns occur; or sexual if the members of one sex differ uniformly from those of the other.
Formic: of, pertaining to or derived from ants.
Formicary: an ant's nest or ant-hill.
Fornicate: arched or vaulted: concave within, convex without.
Fossa -ae: = fossula; q.v.
Fossoria: burrowers: in Orthoptera, the mole crickets and allies; in Hymenoptera, the digging wasps.
Fossorial: formed for or with the habit of digging or burrowing.
Fossula -ae: a deep groove or sinus with sharp edges: specifically applied to grooves on the head or sides of prothorax in which the antennae are concealed.
Fossulate: a surface with oblong impressions.
Fossulet: an elongated, shallow groove.
Fourth longitudinal vein: Diptera (Will.), = media 2 (Comst.).
Fovea, Foveola -ae: a shallow depression with well-marked sides: a pit.
Foveate: with foveae or pit-like depressions.
Foveolate: with shallow cavities like a honey-comb.
Fractus: broken: also applied to a geniculate antenna.
Fragile: easily breakable: thin and brittle.
Frass: the excrement; usually the excreted pellets of caterpillars.
Free: unrestricted in movement: not firmly joined with or united to any other part: said of pupae when all the parts and appendages are separately encased as in Coleopteran.
Frenatae: that series of Lepidoptera in which a more or less well-marked frenulum occurs.
Frenate: having a frenulum.