Glossary
Pollinator Words
- Abdomen
An insect’s rear-most body segment
- Antenna
A segmented, sensory appendage on an insect’s head
- Antennae
A pair of segmented, sensory appendages on an insect’s head
- Arboreal
Found in or upon trees
- Arthropods
Invertebrates with a hard external skeleton, segmented body, and several pairs of jointed appendages
- Brand
A patch of scent scales on a male lepidopteran’s (Family Lepidoptera) wing
- Bristles
Stiff, strong, and slender hairs or hair-like outgrowths
- Brood
Collectively, all offspring produced or hatched at one time
- Brood cells
Compartments in which eggs are laid and hatch, used by bees for rearing larvae
- Broods
Collectively, all offspring produced or hatched at one time
- Calypter
A lobe or flap near the base of a fly’s (Diptera) wings
- Calypters
Lobes or flaps near the base of a fly’s (Diptera) wings
- Chest
The under part of an insect’s thorax
- Chrysalids
Lepidopteran (Family Lepidoptera) pupae; develop in hard cases into adults
- Chrysalis
A lepidopteran (Family Lepidoptera) pupa; develops in a hard case into an adult
- Crop
Part of an insect’s gut; used to temporarily store food
- Dormancy
A period when insects enter an inactive state
- Elytra
Wing cases; the hardened forewings of Coleoptera (Beetles)
- Eyespot
An eye-like marking on an insect’s wings used to scare off potential predators
- Eyespots
Eye-like markings on an insect’s wings used to scare off potential predators
- Forewing
An insect’s front wing
- Forewings
An insect’s front pair of wings
- Hindwing
An insect’s rear wing
- Hindwings
An insect’s rear pair of wings
- Honeydew
A sweet substance secreted by aphids and other true bugs (Homoptera)
- Hyperparasitism
Occurs when organisms are parasitic on other parasites
- Kleptoparasite
Insect that steals food or prey from another
- Larva
The second stage in an insect’s life cycle, between egg and pupa
- Larvae
The second stage in an insect’s life cycle, between eggs and pupae
- Larval
Referring to larva or larvae
- Membrane
A very thin piece of tissue, often transparent
- Membranes
Very thin pieces of tissue, often transparent
- Migrate
To periodically change location, by moving seasonally from between regions
- Mimic
An insect species that resembles another, usually to fool predators
- Multiparasitism
Occurs when a host is attacked by multiple species of parasitoid
- Mutualism
Relationship between two different species that is beneficial to both
- Mutualisms
Relationships between two different species which are beneficial to both
- Myiasis
An infestation of the body by fly larvae
- Nocturnal
Active during the night
- Over-winter
To wait out the winter season; insects remain alive but inactive
- Ovipositor
An appendage used to lay eggs; on a female’s last abdominal segment
- Ovipositors
Appendages used to lay eggs; on the last abdominal segments of females
- Parasitize
To feed on another while it is living, without killing it
- Parasitoid
A larva that feeds on the tissues of its host, normally resulting in host death.
- Parasitoids
Larvae that feed on the tissues of their host, normally resulting in host death.
- Pollen baskets
Cavities on the legs of female bees that hold pollen
- Postscutellum
In flies (Diptera), an area on the dorsal surface of the thorax
- Proboscis
Elongated, tube-like mouthparts adapted for consuming liquids
- Pronotum
The upper surface of the first segment of the thorax
- Pupa
The third stage in an insect’s life cycle, between larva and adult
- Pupae
The third stage in an insect’s life cycle, between larvae and adults
- Pupal
Referring to pupa or pupae
- Puparium
A rigid outer shell that covers some pupae
- Pupate
Go through the process of transformation from larva to adult
- Pupation
The process of transformation from larva to adult
- Scopa
A fringe of hairs on the leg or the abdomen of female bees that holds pollen
- Scopae
Fringes of hairs on the legs or the abdomen of female bees that hold pollen
- Setae
Stiff, hair-like outgrowths
- Thorax
The middle body segment of an insect, between the head and abdomen
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Glossary - Pollinator Words