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, Hemiptera
Hemiptera

Hemiptera is an order of insects, comprising around 80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others. They range in size from 1 mm to around 15 cm, and share a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts ....
]] Hemimetabolism or hemimetaboly, also called incomplete metamorphosis, is a term used to describe the mode of development of certain insects that includes three distinct stages: the egg
Egg (biology)

In most birds and reptiles, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo....
, nymph
Nymph (biology)

In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some insects, which undergoes incomplete metamorphosis before reaching its adult stage; unlike a typical larva, a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult....
, and the adult stage, or imago
Imago

In biology, the imago is the last stage of development of an insect, after the last ecdysis of an incomplete metamorphosis , or after emergence from the pupa where the metamorphosis is complete....
. These groups go through gradual changes; there is no pupal
Pupa

A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in Holometabolism insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago....
 stage. The nymph often resemble the adult somewhat, as they have compound eyes, developed legs and wing stubs visible on the outside.


metabolous insects used to be further divided into two categories: paurometaboly and heterometaboly.






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, Hemiptera
Hemiptera

Hemiptera is an order of insects, comprising around 80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others. They range in size from 1 mm to around 15 cm, and share a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts ....
]] Hemimetabolism or hemimetaboly, also called incomplete metamorphosis, is a term used to describe the mode of development of certain insects that includes three distinct stages: the egg
Egg (biology)

In most birds and reptiles, an egg is the zygote, resulting from fertilization of the ovum. To enable incubation the egg is usually kept within a favourable temperature range as it nourishes and protects the growing embryo....
, nymph
Nymph (biology)

In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some insects, which undergoes incomplete metamorphosis before reaching its adult stage; unlike a typical larva, a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult....
, and the adult stage, or imago
Imago

In biology, the imago is the last stage of development of an insect, after the last ecdysis of an incomplete metamorphosis , or after emergence from the pupa where the metamorphosis is complete....
. These groups go through gradual changes; there is no pupal
Pupa

A pupa is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. The pupal stage is found only in Holometabolism insects, those that undergo a complete metamorphosis, going through four life stages; embryo, larva, pupa and imago....
 stage. The nymph often resemble the adult somewhat, as they have compound eyes, developed legs and wing stubs visible on the outside.

Examples of hemimetabolous insects

  • Hemiptera
    Hemiptera

    Hemiptera is an order of insects, comprising around 80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others. They range in size from 1 mm to around 15 cm, and share a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts ....
     (scale insect
    Scale insect

    The scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, generally classified as the superfamily Coccoidea. There are about 8,000 species of scale insects....
    s, aphids, whitefly
    Whitefly

    The whiteflies, comprising only the family Aleyrodidae, are small hemipterans. More than 1550 species have been described. Whiteflies typically feed on the underside of plant leaves....
    , cicadas, leafhopper
    Leafhopper

    Leafhopper is a common name applied to any species from the family Cicadellidae. Leafhoppers, also known as hoppers, are minute plant-feeding insects in the superfamily Membracoidea in the order Hemiptera....
    s and true bugs)
  • Orthoptera
    Orthoptera

    The Orthoptera are an order of insects with paurometabolous or incomplete metamorphosis, including the grasshoppers, cricket s and locusts. Many insects in this order produce sound by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps....
     (grasshopper
    Grasshopper

    Grasshoppers are insects of the suborder Caelifera in the order Orthoptera. To distinguish them from Tettigoniidae, they are sometimes referred to as short-horned grasshoppers....
    s and crickets)
  • Mantodea (praying mantises)
  • Blattaria (cockroaches
    Cockroach

    Cockroaches are insects of the order Blattaria. This name derives from the Latin word for "cockroach", blatta.There are about 4,000 species of cockroach, of which 30 species are associated with human habitations and about four species are well known as pest s....
    )
  • Dermaptera (earwigs)
  • Odonata
    Odonata

    Odonata is an Order of insects, encompassing Dragonfly and Damselfly . The word dragonfly is also sometimes used to refer to all Odonata. The term odonate has been coined to provide an English language name for the group as a whole, but is not in common usage; most Odonata enthusiasts avoid ambiguity by using the term true dragon...
     (dragonflies and damselflies).
  • Phasmatodea
    Phasmatodea

    "Phasmid" redirects here. For the cloning vector used in genetics, see phagemid.The Phasmatodea are an order of insects, whose members are variously known as stick insects , walking sticks or stick-bugs , phasmids, ghost insects and leaf insects ....
     (Stick Insects)
  • Isoptera (Termites)
  • Pthiaptera (sucking lice)


Previously used nomenclature

Hemimetabolous insects used to be further divided into two categories: paurometaboly and heterometaboly. In paurometabolous insects, the nymph
Nymph (biology)

In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some insects, which undergoes incomplete metamorphosis before reaching its adult stage; unlike a typical larva, a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult....
 and the adult would live in the same environment (water, air, soil, etc.). This is the case of the Orthoptera
Orthoptera

The Orthoptera are an order of insects with paurometabolous or incomplete metamorphosis, including the grasshoppers, cricket s and locusts. Many insects in this order produce sound by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps....
 (grasshoppers and crickets) and some Hemiptera
Hemiptera

Hemiptera is an order of insects, comprising around 80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others. They range in size from 1 mm to around 15 cm, and share a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts ....
 (true bugs) are examples of this. The nymph and adult of heterometabolous insects live in different environments. For example, Odonata
Odonata

Odonata is an Order of insects, encompassing Dragonfly and Damselfly . The word dragonfly is also sometimes used to refer to all Odonata. The term odonate has been coined to provide an English language name for the group as a whole, but is not in common usage; most Odonata enthusiasts avoid ambiguity by using the term true dragon...
 naiads live in the water and cicada nymphs underground, whereas the imagos are aerial.

Terminology of aquatic entomology


In aquatic entomology
Entomology

Entomology is the science study of insects. At some 1.3 million described species, insects account for more than two-thirds of all known organisms,date back some 400 million years, and have many kinds of interactions with humans and other forms of life on earth....
, different terminology is used when categorizing insects with incomplete metamorphosis. Paurometabolism refers to insects whose nymphs
Nymph (biology)

In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some insects, which undergoes incomplete metamorphosis before reaching its adult stage; unlike a typical larva, a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult....
 occupy the same environment as the adults, as in the family Gerridae of hemiptera
Hemiptera

Hemiptera is an order of insects, comprising around 80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others. They range in size from 1 mm to around 15 cm, and share a common arrangement of sucking mouthparts ....
. The hemimetabolous insects are those whose nymphs, called naiads, occupy aquatic habitats while the adults are terrestrial. This includes all members of the orders Plecoptera
Plecoptera

Plecoptera are an order of insects, commonly known as stoneflies. There are some 1,700 recorded species worldwide, and new ones are still being discovered....
, Ephemeroptera, and Odonata
Odonata

Odonata is an Order of insects, encompassing Dragonfly and Damselfly . The word dragonfly is also sometimes used to refer to all Odonata. The term odonate has been coined to provide an English language name for the group as a whole, but is not in common usage; most Odonata enthusiasts avoid ambiguity by using the term true dragon...
. Aquatic entomologists use this categorization because it specifies whether the adult will occupy an aquatic or semi aquatic habitat, or will be terrestrial. This classification system is similar to previously used nomenclature in terrestrial entomology.

See also


  • Holometabolism
    Holometabolism

    Holometabolism, also called complete Metamorphosis , is a term applied to insect groups to describe the specific kind of insect development which includes four life stages - as an embryo, a larva, a pupa and an imago....
  • Ametabolism
    Ametabolism

    A type of growth or Biological life cycle where in there is slight or no Metamorphosis ....
  • Subimago
    Subimago

    The subimago is the stage of development in an insect in which the insect is winged and capable of flight but not yet sexually mature. This occurs in only one Extant taxon order of insects, the Ephemeroptera or mayfly....
  • Metamorphosis