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Vocabulary
Antenna—A jointed, moveable part of an insect's body through which it may touch, smell or taste. Antennae grow in pairs from insects' heads. Aphid—A tiny insect with a soft body. Aphids eat the sweet sap of many plants, which makes them sweet to eat, too. Aphids are one thing that ladybugs like to eat. Chitin—The stuff that makes an insect's exoskeleton hard—the stuff that ladybug wings and human fingernails are made of! Egg—What tiny ladybug larvae hatch from. Mother ladybugs lay eggs on leaves near a good food supply. Elytra—The hard covers that protect a beetle's fragile wings. Ladybugs usually have red, orange or pink elytra with black spots. Some ladybugs have no spots and some have black elytra. Exoskeleton—The hard outer covering of an insect or other animal that has no bones inside. Exoskeletons don't grow, so ladybug larvae must shed old ones and grow new ones as they get bigger. Imago—An adult insect that has completed its metamorphosis. Instar—An insect in any stage between molts. A ladybug larva that has molted twice is in its third instar. Larva—The immature stage of an insect that undergoes metamorphosis. Ladybug larvae are wingless. Metamorphosis—A big change or several changes in the life of an insect or other living thing—for example, a ladybug's change from larva to pupa to imago. Molt—To shed a layer of feathers or skin. Ladybug larvae shed their exoskeleton (outer covering) at least three times before they pupate. Pollen—The yellow powder made by flowers to fertilize flower seeds Pronotum—Part of a ladybug's body, located just behind the head, that helps hide and protect the head Pupa—An insect in the stage between larva and imago. Pupae don't eat. Ladybug pupae don't move at all. |
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