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| abdomen | third (posterior) major division of the insect body |
| aberration | a form that departs in some striking way from the normal type; either single or occurring rarely, at irregular intervals |
| abiotic | of or characterized by the absence of life or living organisms |
| acrodendric | living in tree tops |
| adult | the stage when an insect is sexually mature and ready to reproduce normally |
| aedeagus | male copulatory organ |
| Alae | the membranous wings |
| alate | winged, having wings |
| algophagous | feeding on algae |
| allochthonous | opposite of autochthonous, originating from outside a system, non-native, introduced |
| allopatric | two or more forms of a species having essentially separate distributions |
| alpine | climate zone 2000 - 3000 m, montane grasslands and shrublands. Mountain Pine or Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo) limit |
| antenna | paired, segmented sensory appendages |
| anterior | concerning of facing the front, towards the head |
| antifungal | destructive to fungi, or suppressing their reproduction or growth; effective against fungal infections |
| apex | tip, pointed end of a structure |
| apical | at or towards the apex |
| apomorphy | a derived characteristic of a clade. Any feature novel to a species and its descendants |
| apterous | without wings |
| aquatic | living in the water |
| arboreal | living in, on or among trees |
| arid | applied to regions in which the normal rainfall is insufficient to produce ordinary farm crops without irrigation, and in which desert conditions prevail |
| arolium | pretarsal pad-like structure |
| arthropoda | a phylum of the animal kingdom that includes bilaterally symmetrical animals with hard, segmented bodies bearing jointed appendages |
| Australis | ecozone including Australia and Tasmania |
| autapomorphy | a derived trait that is unique to a particular taxon |
| autochthonous | originating where found, indigenous |
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| basal | at or towards the base, closer to the point of attachment |
| binominal nomenclature | formal system of naming species, devloped by Carl Linnaeus |
| biocenosis | a self-sufficient community of naturally occurring organisms occupying and interacting within a specific biotope |
| biotope | a portion of a habitat characterized by uniformity in climate and distribution of biotic and abiotic components |
| bivoltine | having two generations per year |
| boreal | from or belonging to the north, faunal region with cool, wet summers and cold winters |
| boreomontane | disjunct distribution in the boreal forest with relic populations in the mountains (Alps, Carpathians) and in bogs in the North German Plain |
| brachypterous | having shortened wings |
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| campicolous | living on fields |
| cantharidin | a type of terpenoid (molecular formula C10H12O4), is a poisonous chemical compound secreted by many species of blister beetle, and most notably by the Spanish fly (Lytta vesicatoria) |
| canthariphil | attracted by cantharidin |
| caput | Head |
| cardo | the basal joint of the maxilla in insects |
| carnivorous | preying or feeding on animals |
| Caspian | of or relating to or characteristic of the Caspian Sea |
| caudal | at or towards the end |
| cavernicolous | living in caves |
| cerci | (sing. cercus) slender, paired and segmented sensory appendages arising from the tenth abdominal segment of some insects |
| cf. | (lat. confer, compare, consult) indicates that a species needs to be seen in context of its comparison to another, but by definition is not confirmed as the same |
| chitin | biopolymer (polysaccharide, closely related to cellulose), major component of the arthropod cuticle |
| clypeus | part of the insect head between labrum and frons |
| cocoon | a protective case of silk or similar fibrous material spun by the larvae of moths and other insects that serves as a covering for their pupal stage |
| Coleoptera | order beetles |
| coleopterology | the branch of entomology that studies beetles |
| colin | climate zone 150-450 m, oak limit (Quercus spp.); European Beech (Fagus sylvatica), Sessile oak (Quercus petraea), Pedunculate oak or English oak (Quercus robur) |
| coll. | specimen in the collection of |
| commensalism | symbiosis, two or more species living together such that one benefits but neither loses fitness |
| compound eye | an eye consisting of many individual elements each of which is externally represented by a facet |
| coprophagous | feeding on dung or excrement |
| coprophilous | living or growing on excrement |
| copula | the act of sexual union |
| copulation | the act of sexual union |
| corticolous | growing or living on tree bark |
| cosmopolitan | occuring throughout most of the world |
| coxa | the proximal (basal) leg segment |
| cuticle | external skeletal structure of the insect |
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| degradation | any significant reduction in the fertility of a soil, whether in the course of its natural development or by direct or indirect human action |
| det. | (lat. determinavit) determined by |
| detriticolous | living in detritus |
| detritophilous | living in decaying plant matter |
| diapause | a period of hormonally controlled quiescence, esp. in immature insects, characterized by cessation of growth and reduction of metabolic activity, often occurring seasonally or when environmental conditions are unfavorable |
| dimorphism | a difference in size, form, or color, between individuals of the same species |
| disjunct | two closely related taxa are widely separated geographically |
| distal | referring to the part of an appendage that is farthest from the body |
| diurnal | active at daytime |
| dorsal | on the upper surface |
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| ecto | a combining form meaning "outer", "outside", "external", used in the formation of compound words |
| ectoparasite | a parasite that lives on the outside of its host |
| edaphic | related to or caused by particular soil conditions, as of texture or drainage, rather than by physiographic or climatic factors |
| elytron, elytra | modified, hardened forewing of the beetles |
| endemic | restricted to a well defined geographical region |
| endo | a combining form meaning "within", used in the formation of compound words |
| endoparasite | a parasite that lives internally (inside its host) |
| entomology | the branch of zoology that deals with insects and, specifically, the hexapods |
| entomopathogenic | causing a disease or diseases in insects (usually bacteria, viruses, protozoans or fungi) |
| epipleura | the outer side of a beetle's wing-cover when it is inflexed or turned down so as to cover partially the side of the thorax and abdomen |
| euryhaline | able to tolerate waters over a wide range of salinity |
| eurythermic | (also eurythermal) able to tolerate a wide range of temperatures |
| eurytopic | able to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions, widely distributed |
| eutrophic | waters rich in mineral and organic nutrients that promote a proliferation of plant life, especially algae |
| exoskeleton | rigid or articulated envelope that supports and protects the soft tissues of certain animals |
| exudate | liquid excretion (from glands) to the outside |
| exuvia | the cast-off outer skin of an insect or other arthropod |
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| facultative | in general, not obligatory but rather capable of adapting to different conditions |
| family | a rank in a taxonomic classification, above both genus and species and below order |
| feces | solid bodily waste discharged from the large intestine |
| femur | the third segment of the insect leg, following coxa and trochanter |
| fertile | capable of initiating, sustaining, or supporting reproduction |
| floricolous | living on flowers |
| fossil | extinct in the Pleistocene (the previous geological period) or before |
| fossorial | digging or adapted to digging |
| frons | forehead |
| frontal | referring to the front of head or anterior aspect of any part |
| fungicolous | living in or on fungi |
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| gena | cheek |
| genus | a taxonomic category ranking below a family and above a species and generally consisting of a group of species |
| glabrous | without hairs |
| glossa | tongue |
| granivorous | feeding on grain and seeds |
| gula | the upper part of the throat or gullet |
| gynandromorph | an organism that contains both male and female characteristics. A gynandromorph can have bilateral asymmetry, one side female and one side male, or they can be mosaic. |
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| habitat | the region or place which an insect inhabits or where it was taken |
| habitus | body-build, general appearance |
| halobiont | an organism that lives or grows in a salty environment |
| halophilic | species living in salt marshes, or near the sea |
| halotolerant | adapted to conditions of high salinity without being dependent of them |
| heliophilic | attraction or adaptation to sunlight |
| hemimetabolous | having an incomplete metamorphosis, with no pupal stage in the life history |
| hemolymph | the bloodlike fluid of invertebrates having open blood-vascular systems |
| heteromerous | with the parts not corresponding in number, referrring to the number of tarsi of the legs |
| holarctic | ecozone referring to North America, Europe, Northern Africa and Eurasia |
| holomediterranean | the entire Mediterranean region |
| holometabolous | having a complete metamorphosis, with larval and pupal stages in the life history |
| holotype | a single specimen selected by the author of a species as its type, or the only specimen known at the time of description |
| host | the organism in or on which a parasite lives; the plant on which an insect or other arthropod feeds |
| humeral | of, relating to, or located in the region of the humerus or the shoulder |
| humicolous | living in humus |
| hyaline | glassy or transparent |
| hybrid | the progeny from the mating of two species |
| hydrophilic | having an affinity for water, living in water |
| hygrophilous | moisture loving |
| hypermetamorphose | a type of life history in which the larvae adopts 2 or more distinct forms during its development |
| hypogaeic | living primarily underground |
| hypognathous | mouthparts are directed downwards and backwards from the head from the insect's normal position |
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| imago | the adult insect |
| immature | not mature, unripe, not arrived at perfection of full development |
| in litt. | lat. in litteris, in correspondence, communicated in writing, used for an unpublished source |
| indet. | indeterminate, indeterminable |
| intersegmental membrane | membrane between two sclerites of the body |
| interspecific | arising or occurring between species |
| intraspecific | arising or occurring within a species |
| invasive species | non-indigenous species that adversely affect the habitats they invade |
| isomerous | with parts that are similar or identical in number, referrring to the number of tarsi of the legs |
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| juvenile | not fully grown or developed, young |
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| kleptoparasite | a "thief parasite," an organism that gets food by stealing it from another organism that it lives in close association with, possibly in the way of killing the brood to reach their broodsubstrate |
| K-strategist | organism that uses a survival and reproductive 'strategy' characterised by low fecundity, low mortality, longer life and with populations approaching the carrying capacity of the environment, controlled by density-dependent factors |
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| labium | lower lip |
| labrum | upper lip |
| larva | a stage of insect complete metamorphosis between the egg and pupal stages. The feeding, growing, nonreproductive stage of insect development |
| larva coarctata | a false pupa: applied to the fifth stage, or coarctate pupa, of those insects which undergo hypermetamorphosis. Also called semipupa. |
| lateral | concerning the sides |
| lectotype | single specimen selected from among the syntypes to serve as the only name-bearing type specimen |
| leg. | (lat. legit, has collected) found/caught by |
| lignicolous | growing or living on or in wood |
| limnophilous | living in ponds or marshes |
| lithophilous | thriving in stony or rocky habitats |
| littoral | of or pertaining to the shore of a lake, sea, or ocean |
| locus typicus | type locality, place where a type was found |
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| macropterous | long or large winged |
| mandible | the jaws, jaw-like in biting and chewing insects |
| marginal | of, relating to, located at, or constituting a margin, a border, or an edge |
| maxilla | second (lower) pair of jaws |
| medial | towards the middle |
| mentum | chin, the front median plate of the labium in insects |
| meso | a prefix meaning middle or intermediate |
| mesophilic | regarding temperature and humidity the medium conditions are preferred, avoids extremes |
| mesosternum | the second segment of the thorax |
| mesothorax | the second segment of the thorax |
| meta | a prefix meaning hind, rear |
| metamorphosis | change in the body form larval stage to adult |
| metapopulation | a population perceived to exist as a series of subpopulations, linked by migration between them. However, the rate of migration is limited, such that the dynamics of the metapopulation should be seen as the sum of the dynamics of the individual subpopulations. |
| metasternum | third and last segment of the thorax |
| metathorax | third and last segment of the thorax |
| microcavernicolous | living in small cavities, like burrows and warrens |
| microsculpture | fine texture of the cuticula, e.g. transverse linear, isodiametric cellular, etc. |
| mimesis | resemblance to an inedible object in the environment |
| mimicry | resemblance to a harmful or impalatable species |
| mine | feeding tunnel formed by larvae in plant tissue, e.g. leafs, stems or fruits |
| molluscophagous | feeding on molluscs, e.g. snails, bivalves |
| mono | a prefix meaning one, single, alone |
| monophagous | eating only one kind of food (usually plants) |
| montane | 800 - 1600 m, rye and wheat crop limit |
| morphology | the branch of biology that deals with the form and structure of organisms without consideration of function |
| multivoltine | producing several broods in a single season |
| muscicolous | living in moss or hepatics |
| mycetophagous | feeding on fungi |
| myrmecophilous | ant-loving: applied to insects that live in ant nests |
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| Nearctic | ecozone including most of North America |
| necrophagous | eating dead and decaying animals |
| nectarivorous | feeding on nectar |
| Neotropic | ecozone including Central and South America |
| neotype | a specimen later selected to serve as the single type specimen when an original holotype has been lost or destroyed, or where the original author never cited a specimen |
| nidicolous | sharing the nest of another species of animal |
| nival | climate zone above 3000 m, alpine desert, permafrost and above snow line |
| nocturnal | active at night |
| nomenclature | a system of names, or naming of species of animals and plants scientifically |
| nymph | the intermediate growing stage in the life cycle of arthropods with an incomplete metamorphosis, usually having much the same morphological appearance as the adult |
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| obligate | refers to an organism that is restricted to a particular set of environmental conditions or behaviour, without which it cannot survive |
| ocellus | simple eye consisting of a simple beadlike lens |
| oligophagous | feeding on a restricted range of food substances, especially a limited number of plants |
| ommatidium | one of the single eyes forming the compound eyes of crustaceans, insects, and other invertebrates |
| omnivorous | a general feeder upon animal or vegetable food, or both |
| oogenesis | process of formation of the egg (ovum, pl. ova), the female gamete |
| ootheca | an egg mass produced by several different groups of insects. It contains many eggs with a protective outer covering. |
| orthognathous | mouthparts are directed downwards from the head from the insect's normal position |
| ovary | female sexual gland in which the ova, or eggs, are formed |
| ovipositor | the organ used for laying eggs |
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| Palaearctic | ecozone including Eurasia and North Africa |
| Palaetropic | area of the tropical and subtropical regions of the Old World, including almost the whole of Africa, India and Southeast Asia |
| palpus | a feeler; especially, one of the jointed sense organs attached to the mouth organs of insects |
| paludicolous | living in marshy habitats |
| parapatric | referring to organisms whose ranges do not significantly overlap but are immediately adjacent to each other |
| parasite | an organism that lives at the expense of another usually without killig ist host |
| parasitoid | an organism that lives at the expense of another an finally killing its host |
| paratype | any additional specimen listed in the type series, where the original description designated a holotype |
| parthenogensis | a form of reproduction in which eggs develop normally without being fertilised |
| pelophilous | thriving of creatures in habitats rich in clay |
| petricolous | inhabiting rocks |
| pheromone | a chemical used in the communication between individuals of the same species (used e.g. for aggregation, alarm, courtship, sex attraction, trailmarking) |
| pholeophilous | preferring darkness or shade |
| phoresis | (also phoresy) a form of symbiosis when the symbiont, the phoront, is mechanically carried about by its host. Neither is physiologically dependent on the other. |
| phoront | animal living in a form of symbiosis where it is mechanically carried about by its host |
| photophobic | intolerant of, or avoiding, conditions of full light |
| phyllophagous | feeding upon leaf tissue |
| phylogeny | the evolutionary relationship between organisms. The phylogeny of an organism reflects the evolutionary branch that led up to the organism. |
| phytophagous | eating plants |
| phytophilous | fond of plants |
| planar | climate zone under 150 m |
| plesiomorphy | a character state that is present in both outgroups and in the ancestors |
| pollenophagous | feeding on pollen |
| polyembryonie | the production of two or more embryos in one seed |
| polyphagous | eating many kinds of food |
| polyporicolous | living on polypore fungi |
| ponto-mediterranean | South-East Europe around the Mediterranean |
| population | all the organisms that constitute a specific group or occur in a specified habitat |
| posterior | concerning or facing the rear |
| praticolous | living on meadows |
| predator | an organism hunting and eating other animals |
| primary pest | an injurious organism that attacks an immaculate substrate and is the leading cause of a damage |
| prognathous | mouthparts are directed forwards from the head from the insect's normal position |
| pronotum | the upper (dorsal) plate of the prothorax |
| prosternum | the first segment of the thorax |
| prothorax | the first segment of the thorax |
| proximal | concerning the basal part of an appendage - the part nearest to the body |
| psammophilous | living in sandy places |
| pseudochrysalis | a false pupa: applied to the fifth stage, or coarctate pupa, of those insects which undergo hypermetamorphosis. Also called semipupa. |
| pubescence | a covering of soft short hairs, or down, as one some plants and insects; also, the state of being so covered |
| pubescent | covered with short, soft hair |
| pygidium | the posterior part of the body in certain invertebrates |
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| recent | of, belonging to, or denoting the Holocene Epoch |
| relict | an organism that at an earlier time was abundant in a large area but now occurs at only one or a few small areas |
| rheophilous | thriving in or having an affinity for running water |
| rhizophagous | feeding on roots |
| ripicolous | dwelling on river banks: riparian |
| R-strategist | organism that uses a survival and reproductive 'strategy' characterised by high fecundity, high mortality, short longevity; populations controlled by density-independent factors |
| ruderal area | pioneer habitats resulting from human activity |
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| s.l. | (lat. sensu lato) in the wider sense |
| s.str. | (lat. sensu stricto) in the stricter sense |
| saprophagous | eating decaying organisms |
| scape | the first segment of the antenna |
| sclerite | hardened body part in the exosceleton of insects |
| sclerotization | hardening of the cuticle by the cross-linking of the protein chains in the exocuticle |
| sculpture | texture of the cuticula, e.g. puncture, granules, wrinkles, etc.; see also microsculpture |
| scutellum | the posterior third of the mesonotum |
| secondary pest | an injurious organism capable of damaging only weakend or stressed or already damaged substrates |
| serrate | toothed like a saw |
| sexual dichromatism | systematic difference in color between individuals of different sex in the same species |
| sexual dimorphism | systematic difference in form between individuals of different sex in the same species |
| silvicolous | growing in or inhabiting woodlands |
| spermatheca | a small sac-like branch of the female reproductive tract of arthropods in which sperm may be stored |
| sphagnetum | plant society characterized by sphagnum |
| sphagnicolous | living in Sphagnum |
| stenophagous | utilizing only a limited variety of foods or food species, eating only a narrow range of food |
| stenotopic | able to adapt only to a narrow range of environmental conditions |
| steppicolous | living in steppe environments |
| sternite | the ventral piece in a ring or segment |
| stigma | a spiracle or breathing pore |
| stipes | the second joint of a maxilla of an insect or a crustacean |
| stridulation | the production of sound by rubbing two ridged surfaces together |
| stylopized | insect hosts that have been attacked by endoparasitic stylopids (Strepsiptera), e.g. Hympenoptera like bees and wasps, but from other orders as well |
| subalpine | 1500 - 2500 m, Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), Norway Spruce (Picea abies), Swiss Pine (Pinus cembra, Arve or Zirbel) limit and European Larch (Larix decidua) limit |
| subfamily | a taxonomic rank between family and tribe |
| subgenus | taxonomic group between a genus and a species |
| submontane | climate zone 450 - 800 m, European Beech (Fagus sylvatica), Silver Fir or European Silver Fir (Abies alba) and Norway Spruce (Picea abies). |
| subpopulation | a population that is part of a larger population |
| subspecies | a well-marked form of a species differing from the type in some character of color or maculation which is recognizable but does not prevent a fertile union |
| subterranean | living under the surface of the earth |
| subtribe | a taxonomic rank between tribe and genus |
| succession | the gradual and orderly process of change in an ecosystem brought about by the progressive replacement of one community by another until a stable climax is established |
| symbiosis | a long-lasting, close and dependent relationship between two organisms of different species |
| sympatric | organisms whose ranges overlap or are even identical, so that they occur together at least in some places |
| synanthropic | associated with humans or their dwellings |
| synapomorphy | a derived trait that is shared by two or more taxa of shared ancestry |
| synonym | different scientific names that pertain to the same taxon |
| syntype | any of two or more specimens listed in a species description where a holotype was not designated |
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| t. | (lat. teste) reviewed/confirmed by |
| tarsus | the leg segment distal to the tibia, comprising 1-5 tarsomeres |
| taxon | a category in the classification of living organisms. The taxa (the plural of taxon) in the Linnean system are kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus, and species. |
| taxonomy | the theory and practice of naming and classifying organisms |
| tergite | the primary plate or sclerite forming the dorsal surface of any body segment |
| terricolous | living on or in the ground |
| tetrameric | having four parts, or parts arranged in groups of four, referrring to the tarsi of insects |
| thanatosis | feigning death |
| thermophilic | applied to species living in hot places |
| thorax | the chest, split into prothorax (anterior chest), mesothorax (middle chest) and metathorax (posterior chest) |
| tibia | the fourth leg segment, following the femur |
| tomentum | a covering of dense, matted, woolly hairs |
| trachea | one of the tubules forming the respiratory system of most insects and many arachnids |
| tribe | a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes |
| trichome | a filamentous or hairlike structure of a gland, e.g. in myrmecophilous beetles |
| triungulin | the active first instar larva of some parasitic, hypermetamorphic Neuroptera and Coleoptera |
| trochanter | the second leg segment, following the coxa |
| troglobious | organisms, whose life cycle takes place completely in a cave |
| troglophilous | frequent inhabitant of the caves, adapted ecologically but not morphologically |
| trogloxenous | casual inhabitants of caves, whose long permanence in the caves could cause them to die |
| type | the type provides the objective standard of reference whereby the application of the name of a nominal taxon can be determined; see also holotype, paratype, syntype, neotype and lectotype |
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| ubiquist | species that is not bound to any particular habitat |
| univoltine | having but a single generation a year |
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| vagile | having freedom to move about |
| ventral | towards or at the lower surface |
| vicariance | the separation or division of a group of organisms by a geographic barrier, such as a mountain or a body of water, resulting in differentiation of the original group into new varieties or species |
| vid. | (lat. vidit, has seen) seen/reviewed by |
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| xerophilous | applied to species living in dry places |
| xerothermic | both dry and hot climate or area |
| xerothermophilous | applied to species living in hot and dry places |
| xylodetriticolous | living in decayed wood |
| xylophagous | eating wood |
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| zoophagous | feeding on animals |
