| abdomen
(noun) |
last
of three segments of the insect body; Odonata abdomens have ten
segments |
| damselfly
(noun) |
characterized
by two identical pairs of narrow wings, usually folded over the
abdomen when resting, small, widely separated eyes, small size,
and slender body (member of suborder Zygoptera) |
| dragonfly
(noun) |
characterized
by broad wings held out from the body (fore and hind wings different),
large eyes, touching in most groups, and large body size (member
of suborder Anisoptera) |
| emerge
(verb) |
to
leave water and undergo metamorphosis (change of form) into an adult |
| exoskeleton
(noun) |
outer
hard part of an insect, including legs and wings |
| larva
(noun) pl. larvae |
immature
stage of Odonata (also called a nymph) |
| metamorphosis
(noun) |
the
process of changing from a larva to an adult that happens within
the larval exoskeleton |
| molt
(verb) |
to
shed the skin (When this takes place, the larva can grow while the
skin is soft.) |
| nymph
(noun) |
another
term for larva |
| Odonata
(Latin noun) |
the
order (scientific classification) to which dragonflies and damselfies
belong |
| ovipositor
(noun) |
a
structure at the end of the female of some Odonata species that
deposits eggs into the stems of water plants (ovi = egg, posit =
put) |
| terminal
appendages (noun) |
structures
at the end of the abdomen |
| thorax
(noun) |
the
second section of the body of an insect; it bears the wings and
legs |
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