monophagous
- adjective
- /ˌmɒnəˈfæɡəs/
- Specialized
:
monófago
- Insect species that feed on a single genus of host plants were considered monophagous, whereas we recorded species that feed on multiple genera of a single plant family as oligophagous.
Examples
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Only one of the insect species tested proved to be strictly monophagous (see glossary), meaning larvae did not accept any of the offered test plant species even under no-choice conditions.
Academic text (2001) -
These behavioral studies explain the differences between the no-choice feeding tests and field observations that indicated that this beetle is monophagous on C. arvense (Wan and Harris 1996).
Academic text (2001) -
Of the high-impact species, 48% were classified as monophagous, 22% as oligophagous, and 29% as polyphagous.
Academic text (2010) -
Similarly, 44% of the pathogen species were monophagous, three species (19%) were oligophagous, and 37% were polyphagous.
Academic text (2010) -
Nearly half of the insect and pathogen species on our complete list and on the high-impact list, however, were monophagous, whereas only 33% and 29% of the insects, respectively, were polyphagous or oligophagous.
Academic text (2010) -
Some insect species are classified as monophagous because they can only feed on one type of plant.
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The research showed that certain butterflies are monophagous, relying exclusively on a single flower for nourishment.
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A monophagous species of worm was discovered, as it thrived solely on one kind of decaying matter.
Antonyms
How Specialized
Surface Forms
Morphology
monophagous = phagous (transparent) = mono + phag + ous
The adjective is directly built from the base 'phagous' by adding the prefix 'mono-', yielding the literal sense of 'feeding on one kind'.
Etymology
Monophagous comes from Greek parts mono- 'one' (as in monopoly) and phagein 'to eat'. So a monophagous animal eats only one kind of food, which is why it is at risk if that food disappears.
