Official Texas FFA Entomology CDE Question Bank

Essential vocabulary covering insect anatomy, physiology, life histories, collecting equipment, and integrated pest management concepts from the Official Texas FFA Entomology CDE Question Bank.

Elytra

Hardened, protective forewings found in beetles (Coleoptera) that are attached to the mesothorax.

Exuvium

The cast-off, shed outer exoskeleton left behind by an insect after molting.

Aspirator

A collection tool utilizing mouth suction or a hand bulb to draw small insects into a collection vial.

Geniculate

An antennal type characterized by having an elbowed or distinctly bent joint.

Johnston's organ

A sensory organ located within the antenna that detects vibrations, wind, gravity, and movements between antennal segments.

Dolbear's law

A mathematical relationship used to predict ambient air temperature based on the chirping frequency of crickets.

Chitin

A tough nitrogenous polysaccharide that forms a primary structural component of arthropod exoskeletons and fungal cell walls.

Hemimetabolous

A developmental pattern of incomplete or gradual metamorphosis comprising egg, nymph, and adult stages without a pupal stage.

Holometabolous

A developmental pattern of complete metamorphosis comprising four distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

Dorsal vessel

The principal pulsating organ of the open circulatory system in insects, serving as the heart.

Zoophilic

Describing an insect or organism that shows an ecological or feeding preference for non-human animals over humans.

Aedeagus

The male copulatory organ in insects utilized to transfer sperm into the female reproductive tract.

Cursorial legs

Insect legs structurally specialized for running, as seen in ground beetles and cockroaches.

Fossorial legs

Insect legs modified into flattened, shovel-like structures adapted for digging, as found in mole crickets.

Saltatorial legs

Insect legs with enlarged femora specialized for jumping, as observed in grasshoppers.

Natatorial legs

Flattened, oar-like insect legs fringed with setae and adapted for swimming, as in water boatmen.

Chrysalis

The pupal stage of a butterfly, formed without an exterior cocoon.

Ootheca

A protective, hardened egg capsule or pouch produced by insects such as mantids and cockroaches.

Sternum

The ventral cuticular plate or undersurface of an insect thoracic or abdominal segment.

Peritrophic membrane

A semipermeable lining envelope within the midgut that protects epithelial cells from food particle abrasion and serves as a selective sieve.

Haustellate mouthparts

Mouthparts modified into specialized probing or sucking tubes for ingesting liquid food.

Kairomones

Chemical signals released by plants that attract predators or parasitoids to feed on herbivorous insect pests.

Stemmata

Simple visual organs found on the lateral sides of the head in holometabolous larvae such as caterpillars.

Ocelli

Simple photoreceptive eyes, typically three in number, positioned on the vertex of an insect head between the compound eyes.

Ommatidia

The individual visual receptor facets and image-forming units that collectively compose an insect's compound eye.

Aeropyle

A microscopic pore perforating an insect eggshell that facilitates respiratory gas exchange while controlling water loss.

Tympanum

A specialized membrane-based auditory organ utilized by insects to perceive sound vibrations.

Hamuli

Microscopic hooks located along the anterior margin of the hindwing in Hymenoptera that lock it to the forewing during flight.

Instar

The discrete developmental stage or growth form of an insect between successive molts.

Proventriculus

A muscular, tooth-lined organ (gizzard) of the foregut situated between the crop and gastric caecae that grinds ingested food.

Halteres

Slender, clubbed appendages modified from the hindwings of true flies (Diptera) that serve as gyroscopic balance organs during flight.

Economic threshold

The pest population density at which management tactics must be implemented to prevent populations from reaching the economic injury level.

Ovipositor

A specialized organ at the posterior end of female insects used for depositing eggs into specific substrates.

Malpighian tubules

Excretory structures in insects that filter metabolic wastes, water, and ions from the hemolymph and discharge them into the hindgut.

Parthenogenesis

A form of asexual reproduction wherein female embryos develop directly from unfertilized eggs.

Berlese funnel

An apparatus employing a light or heat source placed above a funnel to drive leaf-litter and soil arthropods down into a collection preservative.

Malaise trap

A tent-like interception trap made of fine netting that directs flying insects upward into a collection chamber.

Pitfall trap

A collection container buried flush with the soil surface used to catch epigeal, ground-crawling arthropods.

Propolis

A resinous mixture collected by honey bees from botanical sources and mixed with enzymes and wax to seal hive crevices and protect against moisture and pathogens.

Spiracles

Paired, valve-regulated external apertures on the thoracic and abdominal pleural surfaces through which air enters the tracheal system.

Alates

Winged reproductive individuals produced in ant and termite colonies that emerge to disperse and establish new colonies.

Tegmina

Tough, leathery forewings characteristic of insects in the order Orthoptera that shield the membranous hindwings.

Apodeme

An invaginated cuticular projection or ridge extending inward from the exoskeleton that provides rigid bracing and muscle attachment sites.

Chorion

The outer protective proteinaceous shell enclosing an insect egg.

Relaxing chamber

A closed, moisture-saturated chamber used to rehydrate and restore joint mobility to brittle dried insect specimens prior to pinning.

Minuten pin

A miniature, headless pin of fine stainless steel wire used to mount extremely small insect specimens.

Azadirachtin

A widely utilized botanical insecticide and antifeedant compound derived from the seeds of the neem tree.

FIFRA

The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act; the primary United States federal legislation governing pesticide registration, distribution, and use.