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Glite Dictionary
hemimetaboly

hemimetaboly

9.9
Insects develop through nymph stages that look like small adults and there is no pupa
  • noun
  • /ˌhɛmɪˈmɛtəˌbɑli/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hemimetabolía
  • Grasshoppers undergo hemimetaboly, skipping the pupal stage seen in butterflies.

Examples

  • Mayflies are classic examples of insects displaying hemimetaboly.

  • Many insects undergo hemimetaboly rather than complete metamorphosis.

  • Grasshoppers undergo hemimetaboly, skipping the pupal stage seen in butterflies.

  • Students studied hemimetaboly to compare it with complete metamorphosis in their biology class.

  • The term hemimetaboly describes insects without a pupal stage.

  • Mayflies are classic examples of insects displaying hemimetaboly.

  • Many insects undergo hemimetaboly rather than complete metamorphosis.

Synonyms

hemimetamorphosis
vshemimetaboly
  • Specialized
9.9

A way some insects grow, like grasshoppers, where young look like adults but lack wings and adult sex organs

focuses on successive nymph stages leading to maturity without a pupal stage
hemimetabolism
vshemimetaboly
  • Specialized
9.9

A way some insects grow where the young look like adults but get wings only in the last stage

highlights stage progression without any pupal stage before adulthood
heterometaboly
vshemimetaboly
  • Specialized
9.9

A way some insects grow where young look like small adults and there is no pupa

emphasises distinct nymph stages rather than a pupal transformation
heterometabolism
vshemimetaboly
  • Specialized
9.9

Development in some insects where young change into adults without a pupal stage like a chrysalis

focuses on the stepwise nymphal process leading to adulthood without pupation

How Complete

holometaboly
  • Specialized
9.9
hemimetaboly
  • Specialized
9.9

Surface Forms

hemimetaboly singular
hemimetabolies plural

Morphology

hemimetaboly = metamorphosis (semi-transparent) = hemi + metaboly

The prefix 'hemi-' indicates half or partial, but the specialized scientific context may not be immediately clear to all learners.

Etymology

Hemimetaboly comes from Greek parts hemi- meaning 'half' and metaboly meaning 'change', like in the familiar word metamorphosis. So, hemimetaboly is a 'half-change' in insects: the young look like small adults and grow in stages but skip the pupal stage, unlike butterflies.