Glossary of Terms
Definitions of paleontological and entomological terms used throughout this site.
- Amber
- Fossilized tree resin, often preserving insects in three-dimensional detail.
- Angiosperm
- A flowering plant. Angiosperms diversified rapidly during the Cretaceous and now dominate most terrestrial ecosystems.
- Chitin
- A tough polysaccharide that forms the exoskeleton of insects and other arthropods.
- Coleoptera
- The order of beetles, the most species-rich order of insects.
- Compression fossil
- A fossil formed when an organism is flattened in sedimentary rock, preserving an outline and surface details.
- Convergent evolution
- The independent evolution of similar features in unrelated lineages, driven by similar selective pressures.
- Dicondylic mandibles
- Mandibles (jaws) with two points of articulation with the head capsule, a feature of winged insects and their relatives.
- Diptera
- The order of true flies, characterized by having only one pair of wings (the hindwings are reduced to halteres).
- Elytra
- Hardened forewings of beetles that protect the membranous hindwings. Singular: elytron.
- Eusociality
- A social system with reproductive division of labor, cooperative brood care, and overlapping generations. Found in ants, some bees, wasps, and termites.
- Exoskeleton
- The external skeleton of arthropods, composed primarily of chitin and proteins.
- Gymnosperm
- A seed plant that does not produce flowers or fruits (conifers, cycads, ginkgoes). Dominated land vegetation before angiosperms.
- Hemiptera
- The order of true bugs, characterized by piercing-sucking mouthparts. Includes cicadas, aphids, and shield bugs.
- Holometaboly
- Complete metamorphosis: the developmental pattern with egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages.
- Hymenoptera
- The order including wasps, bees, and ants.
- K-Pg extinction
- The mass extinction event ~66 million years ago at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, caused by an asteroid impact.
- Lagerstätte
- A sedimentary deposit with exceptionally preserved fossils. Plural: Lagerstätten.
- Lepidoptera
- The order of butterflies and moths.
- Ma
- Abbreviation for 'mega-annum' (million years ago).
- Mandibles
- The primary jaw-like mouthparts of insects, used for biting, chewing, or cutting.
- Meganisoptera
- An extinct order of giant griffinfly insects related to modern dragonflies. Includes Meganeura and Meganeuropsis.
- Neoptera
- The large group of winged insects that can fold their wings flat over the abdomen. Includes most modern winged insect orders.
- Neuroptera
- The order of lacewings, antlions, and owlflies.
- Ovipositor
- The egg-laying structure of female insects.
- Palaeodictyoptera
- An extinct order of Carboniferous-Permian insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts and often prothoracic winglets.
- Palaeoptera
- The group of winged insects that cannot fold their wings (dragonflies and mayflies).
- Pangaea
- The supercontinent that existed during the late Paleozoic and early Mesozoic, containing most of Earth's landmasses.
- Parasitoid
- An organism that develops on or inside a host, eventually killing it. Parasitoid wasps are a major component of insect diversity.
- Pterygota
- The subclass of winged insects (and secondarily wingless forms derived from winged ancestors).
- Tracheal system
- The respiratory system of insects, consisting of a network of tubes (tracheae) that deliver oxygen directly to tissues.