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pupal

pupal

1 7.7
The stage when an insect changes from a larva into an adult
  • adjective
  • /ˈpjuːpəl/
  • Specialized
: pupal
  • In the pupal stage, the insect undergoes significant transformation before becoming an adult.
  • pupal stage

Examples

  • You see, this is before it enters the pupal stage.

  • The bucket next to her is used to rear larvae to the pupal stage.

    Academic text (2001)
  • In the pupal stage, the males can be irradiated to render them sexually sterile.

    Academic text (2000)
  • In honeybees, the first queen to emerge from her pupal cell may kill the others as they lie in their virginal wax chambers.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The larvae then spend three to four years burrowing inside the wood, nourishing themselves on the wood's cellulose and growing until they enter the cocoon-like pupal stage when they transform into adults.

    Blog text (25)
  • The time spent in the pupal stage can vary depending on the species of insect.

  • During the pupal stage, the caterpillar is immobile as it undergoes metamorphosis.

How Developed

adult
478 1.0
pupal
  • Specialized
1 7.7
larval
  • Specialized
7 7.2

Surface Forms

pupal positive

Morphology

pupal = pupa (transparent) = pupa + al

The adjective is a straightforward formation from the noun 'pupa' plus the adjectival suffix '-al'.

Etymology

The word pupal comes from the Latin pupa, which means 'doll'. People thought the insect in this stage looked like a little 'doll' that stayed still while it changed, so pupal describes the quiet stage 'between larva and adult'.