Insects

See also ants; bees; biology; butterflies; zoology.

acarophobia

a fear of itching or of the mites or ticks that cause it.

aeroscepsy, aeroscepsis

perception by means of the air, said to be a function of the antennae of insects.

bugology

Informal. entomology. —bugologist, n.

coleopterology

the branch of entomology that studies beetles and weevils. —coleopterological, adj. —coleopterist, n.

dipterology

the branch of entomology that studies the order of insects Diptera, including houseflies, mosquitoes, and gnats.

entomology

the branch of zoology that studies insects. Also called insectology. —entomologist, n. —entomologie, entomological, adj.

entomomania

an abnormal love of insects.

entomophobia

an abnormal fear of insects.

ephemeron

anything shortlived, or of brief duration, especially certain types of insects such as the mayfly.

gynandromorphism

the condition of having one half of the body male and the other half female, as certain insects. —gynandromorph, n. —gynandromorphous, adj.

hemipterology

the branch of entomology that studies the order Hemiptera, including bedbugs, squashbugs, and aphids.

heteromorphism

1. the quality of differing in form from the standard or norm.

2. the condition of existing in different forms at different stages of development, as certain insects. — heteromorphic, adj.

hymenopterology

the branch of entomology that studies the order Hytnenoptera, including bees, wasps, and ants.

hypermetamorphosis

a process by which an insect goes through more than the usual number of transformations, as the larva being metamorphosed more than once.

ichneumonology

the study of the life of the ichneumon fly.

insecticide

a substance used for killing insects. — insecticidal, adj.

insectology

entomology.

myrmecology

the study of ants.

neoteny

the capacity or state of becoming sexually mature in the larval stage. — neotenous, adj.

neuropterology

the branch of entomology that studies the order Neuroptera, including lacewings and ant lions.

orthopterology

the branch of entomology that studies the order Orthoptera, including cockroaches, grasshoppers, and mantises.

pediculophobia

an abnormal fear of lice. Also called phthiriophobia.

pediculosis

an infestation with lice; lousiness. — pediculous, adj.

pesticide

any chemical substance used for killing pests, as insects, weeds, etc.

phthiriophobia

pediculophobia.

polymorphism

the occurrence of several forms or colors in one species of insect. — polymorphous, adj.

stridulation

1. an action characteristic of some insects of producing a shrill, grating noise by chafing a serrated part of the body against a hard part.

2. the noise so produced. — stridulator, n. — stridulant, stridulatory, adj.

vespiary

1. a wasps’ nest.

2. a community or colony of wasps.

xenobiosis

communal life, such as that of ants, in which colonies of different species live together but do not share the raising of the young. —xenobiotic, adj.