Arachnid (a-
rak-ned)
A class of usually eight-legged arthropods including
spiders, scorpions, mites, and ticks
Arthropod (ar-thruh-pod)
An animal that has a hard outer skeleton and three
or more pairs of legs that can bend
Botanist (bot-uh-nist)
A scientist who studies plants
Entomologist (en-te-ma-le-jist)
A scientist who studies insects
Exoskeleton (ek-so-ske-le-ten)
A hard structure on the outside of an animal, such
as the shell of a lobster, crab, or insect.
Heteroptera (heder-op-terah)
The scientific name for true bugs; “hetero”
means different and “ptera” means wings.
The front wings of true bugs are distinctively leathery
and membranous.
Insect (in-sekt)
An invertebrate with three pairs of legs, one or
two pairs of wings, three main sections to its body
and an exoskeleton
Invertebrate (in-vur-tuh-brit)
A creature without a backbone. Insects, octopuses,
earthworms, and snails are examples of invertebrates
Larva (lar-vuh)
An insect at the stage of development between an
egg and a pupa. A caterpillar is the larva of a
moth or a butterfly
Metamorphosis (met-uh-mor-fuh-siss)
The series of changes certain animals go through
as they develop from eggs to adults
Miridae (meer-eh-day)
A large family of small often brightly colored true
bugs that feed mostly on plants
Molting (mohlt-ing)
When an animal’s outer covering of fur, feathers,
or skin comes off so that a new covering can grow
Nymph (nimf)
An immature – or young -- insect that resembles
the adult but is smaller and lacks wings.
Phylum (fi-lum)
A major division within the animal and plant kingdoms
Pupa (pyoo-puh)
An insect at the stage of development between a
larva and an adult
Stink Glands (stingk gland)
An organ in the body that produces and releases
chemicals
Thorax (thor-aks)
The middle of the three main divisions of the body
of an insect. Also, the part of a mammal’s
body between the neck and the abdomen.
Vertebrate (ver-tuh-brit
or vur-tuh-brate)
Any animal that has a backbone. Mammals, fish, and
snakes are examples of vertebrates