dipterous
9.9
Insects with one pair of wings like flies or mosquitoes
- adjective
- /ˈdɪptərəs/
- Specialized
:
díptero
- Any of various large dipterous flies, especially the horsefly, that annoy livestock by sucking their blood.
Examples
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Insect researchers often study dipterous species to understand their role in ecosystems.
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Farmers often have to deal with dipterous pests that can be harmful to crops and livestock.
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The dipterous insects, such as mosquitoes and houseflies, are known for their wings and unpredictably fast movements.
Compounds
Surface Forms
dipterous positive
Morphology
dipterous = Diptera (opaque) = di + pter + ous
Formation by regular suffixation from the taxonomic base 'Diptera' is morphologically regular, but the base is technical and not familiar to general learners.
Etymology
Dipterous comes from the Greek parts di- meaning 'two' and pteron meaning 'wing', the same pter you see in pterodactyl. So, dipterous describes insects like flies and mosquitoes that have only two wings.
