Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology | Page 3

appendage or draw it away from the body: see adductor.
Abductor mandibulae: the muscle that opens the mandibles.
Aberrant: unusual; out of the ordinary course.
Aberration: a form that departs in some striking way from the normal type; either single or occurring rarely, at irregular intervals.
Abiogenesis: spontaneous generation.
Abnormal: outside the usual range or course; not normal.
Aborted: a structure developed so as to be unfit for its normal function obsolete or atrophied.
Abraded: scraped or rubbed.
Abrupt: suddenly or without gradation.
Abscissus: cut off squarely, with a straight margin.
Absconditus: hidden, concealed; retracted into another.
Acalyptrata: those muscid flies in which alulae are absent or rudimentary.
Acanthus: a spine, spur or prickle.
Acaudal -ate: without a tail.
Accessory: added, or in addition to.
Accessory carinae: in Orthoptera the lateral carinae of the face.
Accessory cell: a cell not commonly present in the group; in some orders of definite location as, e.g. in Lepidoptera, usually a small cell at the end of the subcosta, giving rise directly or indirectly to veins 7 to 10:= 1st radius 2 (Comst.); = areole.
Accessory glands: any glands opening into the ducts of the reproductive system.
Accessory sac: a glandular structure of the female reproductive system containing a sticky secretion.
Accessory subcostal vein: the vein given off from the subcosta and branching toward the apex of the wing in Perlidae.
Aceous or aceus: suffix; similar to, or of the nature of.
Acephalous: without a head.
Acerata: arthropods without true antennae Arachnids and Limulus
Acetabular caps: Hemiptera; the coxal cavity.
Acetabuliform: like a shallow saucer with more or less incurved sides.
Acetabulum: the cavity into which an appendage is articulated; specifically the coxal cavity, - q.v.; also applied to a cup-like cavity in the sucking mouth of maggots.
Achreioptera: ordinal term proposed for the coleopterous family Platypsyllidae.
Achromatic: free from color; tissue that does not stain readily.
Acicular: needle-shaped; with a long, slender point.
Aciculate: a surface that appears as if scratched with a needle.
Acidotheca: the pupal sheath of the ovipositor.
Acini: granulations, like those on a blackberry: the terminal secreting tubes of glands.
Acinose -ous: a surface set with acini.
Acone: applied to compound eyes in which the individual ocelli have no crystalline cone or lens; see eucone. {Scanner's note: this is no longer a valid usage for the word "ocelli". Currently the term is. See "ocellus" and "ommatidium".}
Acoustic nerve: connects the auditory pits or other organs of hearing with special ganglia.
Acridophagus: preying and feeding on grasshoppers.
Acrostichal bristles: Diptera; two rows of bristles on the middle of the dorsum; specifically, minute peculiar bristles on the dorso-central region of Dolichopodidae.
Aculeata: Hymenoptera; the stingers, including bees and wasps.
Aculeate: prickly; armed with short, sharp spines; specifically, in Hymenoptera furnished with a sting which is a modified ovipositor and connected with a poison sac.
Aculeus -ei: a prickle; a small sharp point; specifically, an ovipositor, especially when sting-like, as in Hymenoptera; in male Tipulidae a slender, horny, often curved and pointed piece, projected when the forceps is open.
Acuminate: tapering to a long point.
Acupunctate: a surface with fine punctures as if made with a needle.
Acutangulate: forming, or meeting in an acute angle.
Acute: pointed: terminating in or forming less than a right angle.
Acutilingual: with a sharp pointed tongue or mouth structure, as in some bees.
Acutilingues: bees with a short pointed tongue: see obtusilingues.
Addorsal: close to but not quite on the middle of the dorsum.
Addorsal line: in caterpillars, is longitudinal, a little to one side of the dorsal and between it and the subdorsal line.
Adductor: applied to muscles that draw an appendage to the body or bring parts into apposition: see abductor.
Adductor mandibulae: the muscle that draws in or closes the mandible.
Adeloceratous: with concealed antennae: see cryptocerata.
Adephagous: belonging to the Adephaga: pentamerous, predatory, terrestrial beetles with filiform antennae and predatory habits: see hydradephagous.
Adherent: attached or clinging to.
Adipose: fat or fatty: see fat-body.
Adiscota: insects that develop into adults without forming imaginal discs; see discota.
Adminicula: supports or props: the spinous processes on the abdomen of boring and burrowing pupae.
Adnate: adjoining; adhering or growing together: closely connected.
Adpressed: laid or pressed to; contiguous.
Adsperse -us: with markings of closely crowded small spots.
Adsternal: situated next or close to the sternum.
Adult: the stage when an insect is sexually mature and ready to reproduce normally.
Aduncate -cus, -catus: a part gradually bent through its whole extent.
Adventitious: occurring accidentally, out of the ordinary course, without apparent reason.
Adventral line: in caterpillars, extends along the under side between the middle and the base of legs.
Adventral tubercle: on the abdominal segments of caterpillars on the inner base of the leg, and correspondingly on the apodal segments; constant: is number VIII of the abdominal series (Dyar).
Aeneous -eus: shining bronze or brassy.
Aenescent: becoming or appearing bronzed or brassy.
Aequale: equal.
Aequilate-us: of equal breadth throughout.
Aerial: living in the air; applied to flying insects.
Aeriductus: a spiracle: the tracheal, gill-like structures of aquatic larvae: more specifically the tail-like extensions of rat-tailed maggots and some aquatic Hemiptera.
Aeroscepsin: an indefinite sense of perception supposed to be located in the antenna.
Aeroscepsy: The faculty of observing