Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology

Chapter 6

Chapter 63,636 wordsPublic domain

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.