ENTM010 Part 3

Jewel beetle

Beetles with shiny, often metallic bodies; many are wood-borers.

Larvae and adults in Diptera

Fly larvae (maggots) look very different from adult flies.

Leaf beetle

Colorful beetles that often feed on plant leaves.

Leaf-cutter bee

Bees that cut leaf pieces to build nests.

Leafcutter ant biology

Ants that cut leaves to grow fungus, which they eat.

Leishmaniasis

A disease spread by sandflies that causes skin sores.

Lycaenidae

A butterfly family including blues and coppers; many have ant interactions.

Maggot therapy

Using fly larvae to clean infected wounds by eating dead tissue.

Mayfly characteristics

Aquatic insects with short-lived adults and long nymph stages.

Medico-legal forensic entomology

Using insects in legal cases to determine time or cause of death.

Mimicry

When insects copy the look of something else (e.g., a toxic species) to stay safe.

Mosquito and diseases

Mosquitoes spread diseases like malaria, Zika, and West Nile virus.

Moths vs. butterflies

Moths fly at night, have fuzzy bodies; butterflies are day-fliers with clubbed antennae.

Natatorial leg

A swimming leg, adapted for moving through water.

Nesting habits in wasps

Vary by species; some dig holes, others build paper nests.

Neuropteran feeding habit

Lacewing larvae are predators, often eating aphids.

Nymphalidae leg

Front legs are reduced in some butterflies in this family, like monarchs.

Ocelli

Simple eyes on top of the head that detect light.

Ommatidia

Units of compound eyes, each working like a tiny eye.

Onychophora

Velvet worms; soft-bodied animals related to insects.

Osmeterium

A forked, stinky organ that caterpillars (like swallowtails) use to scare off predators.

Parasitoid vs. predators

Parasitoids kill their host slowly (like laying eggs inside), predators kill and eat right away.

Pentatomidae characteristics

Stink bugs; shield-shaped and produce foul smells.

Pheromones

Chemicals insects use to communicate (e.g., for mating or trail marking).

Phorid flies and ants

Some phorid flies lay eggs in ants, and the larvae kill them.

Pollen basket

A part of a bee’s hind leg used to carry pollen.

Problems caused by invasive ants

Outcompete native species, damage crops, and bite or sting people.

Proleg

Stubby, unjointed legs found on caterpillars.

Proventriculus

A part of the insect digestive system that grinds food.

Puparium

The hard shell formed from the last larval skin in flies, protecting the pupa inside.

River blindness

A disease caused by worms spread by blackflies.

Robber fly biology

Predatory flies that catch other insects mid-air.

Royal jelly

A special food fed to bee larvae to make them queens.

Sandfly and disease

Tiny biting flies that transmit leishmaniasis.

Scansorial leg

A leg adapted for climbing.

Scopae

Brush-like hairs used by bees to carry pollen.

Scorpionfly

Insects with long faces; males have tails that look like scorpion stingers (but don’t sting).

Seed-collecting in ants

Some ants gather seeds for food and storage.

Silkworm moth

The insect used in silk production; domesticated.

Simuliidae

The blackfly family; includes disease vectors.

Sleeping sickness

Another name for African trypanosomiasis, spread by tsetse flies.

Spermatheca

A sac in female insects that stores sperm.

Spermatophore

A sperm packet transferred during mating.

Stable fly feeding

These flies bite and drink blood from animals.

Startle response

A defense behavior meant to scare off predators (e.g., flashing eyespots).

Stridulation mechanism

Making sound by rubbing body parts together (e.g., crickets).

Structural coloration

Colors made by light bouncing off structures, not pigments (like iridescent beetles).

Subimago

A stage in mayflies between nymph and adult; they still need to molt once more.

Swallowtail

Large butterflies with tail-like extensions on their hind wings.

Sweat bee

Small bees that are attracted to human sweat.

Tabanidae

Horseflies and deer flies; females are blood feeders.

Thrip characteristics

Tiny insects with fringed wings that feed on plants.

Tiger beetle larvae

Live in burrows and grab prey with strong jaws.

Tipulidae

Crane flies; long-legged, harmless insects.

Tsetse fly and disease

Spreads sleeping sickness in Africa.

Tsetse fly reproduction

Females give birth to live larvae, not eggs.

Tympanal organ locations

Hearing organs found on legs, abdomen, or thorax depending on species.

Use of insects in forensic investigations

Insects help estimate time and place of death.

Use of stingers in ants

Used for defense or hunting; only some species sting.

Usefulness of insects and time of death

Insects arrive in a predictable order after death, aiding investigations.

Water strider characteristics

Insects that skate across water using surface tension.

West Nile virus

A virus spread by mosquitoes that can cause flu-like symptoms or worse.

Yellow fever

A viral disease spread by mosquitoes; causes fever and jaundice.

Yellowjacket

Aggressive wasps that sting and scavenge sugary foods.

Yucca and yucca moth

A mutual relationship: moths pollinate yuccas while laying eggs in the flowers.