Knowra Complete metamorphosis Complete metamorphosis An insect life cycle with four distinct stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. The larva differs markedly from the adult, and the pupa is a transformation stage.
Insect egg : The embryonic stage of an insect, enclosed in a protective egg covering. Embryonic development begins the cycle before hatching produces a larva.
Insect : An arthropod with a three-part body, six legs, and usually one or two pairs of wings as an adult. Complete metamorphosis is one pattern of development within this animal group.
Butterfly : A winged insect in the order Lepidoptera, typically with broad, scale-covered wings. Its caterpillar, chrysalis, and winged adult make the stages easy to distinguish.
Incomplete metamorphosis : An insect life cycle in which immature stages resemble smaller adults and develop without a pupal stage. It contrasts with the distinct larval and pupal forms of complete metamorphosis.
Larva : An immature animal form that feeds and grows before transforming into a pupa or adult. This is the feeding and growth stage, often unlike the adult in body form.
Metamorphosis : A developmental process in which an animal undergoes substantial changes in form after hatching or birth. Complete metamorphosis is a particularly distinct insect form of this broader process.
Honey bee : A social bee species, Apis mellifera, widely managed for honey and pollination. Its egg, grub-like larva, pupa, and adult illustrate the cycle in a social insect.
Hemimetabolous development : Insect development in which juveniles, called nymphs, gradually acquire adult features through molts. Nymphs develop without the abrupt larva-to-pupa transition found here.
Pupa : A developmental stage in which an insect transforms from larva into adult. Larval tissues are reorganized as adult structures develop.
Instar : A developmental stage between molts in an arthropod. Larvae often pass through several instars before entering the pupal stage.
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