Page 645 - The Book of Caterpillars: A Life-Size Guide to Six Hundred Species From Around the World

GLOSSARY

Hair pencil Cluster of hairlike scent scales, everted by some Oviposition Laying eggs, ovipositing.
butterflies and moths during courtship, and from which
pheromones are emitted. Owlet Common name for moth species in the family
Noctuidae, and used by some experts also for moth species
Hammock Rich, tropical, hardwood forest on rocky upland of Nolidae, Erebidae, and Eutellidae.
sites in Florida.
Paddle Flattened or compressed, paddle-like hair or seta.
Hilltopping Active aggregation of male butterflies at an
elevated site (hilltop) seeking females for courtship. Paperbark woodland Woodland that is comprised of
Melaleuca trees.
Horn Enlarged spike or spine on the anterior or posterior end
of some caterpillars. Parasitoid Organism that develops within a host and
ultimately kills it.
Instar Larval growth stage between molts, or the caterpillar at
that growth stage before molting. Peduncle Stalk or stem supporting an organ or other kind
of structure.
Integument Outer covering or cuticle of the caterpillar’s body,
also known as the exoskeleton. Peristaltic Having an action suggestive of peristalsis, the
wavelike contraction that occurs along the gut and other
Iridoid glycoside Toxic chemical that caterpillars ingest from body tubes as food is digested.
plants, making the larvae distasteful to predators.
Petiole Stalk that attaches a leaf to the stem.
Labium Lower hardened “lip” of an insect’s mouth.
Pheromone Chemical produced by an insect that mediates
Labrum Upper hardened “lip” of an insect’s mouth. behavior of other individuals of the same species.
Leafminer Caterpillar that creates a tunnel between the upper Pier see Frass pier.
and lower surfaces of a leaf.
Pinna (pl. pinnae) Leaflet or primary division of a pinnate 643
Light gap Break in the forest canopy that allows young plants leaf on a plant, such as bracken, that has leaflets (pinnae)
and shrubs to grow. arranged opposite each other on a stem.
Littoral rain forest Coastal rain forest in eastern Australia Plumose Feather-like or multiply branched, or divided.
adapted to salt-laden and drying winds.
Pocosin Inland wetland in the southern United States.
Looper Common name for geometrid or other caterpillars
that lack some or all of the middle abdominal legs, creating Polymorphic Occurrence of different forms or types
“looping” locomotion. in organisms of the same species, independent of
sexual variations.
Mandibles Either of the two-toothed jaws of a caterpillar, used
for biting and chewing food. Polyphagous Feeding on a wide variety of host plants,
including different plant families.
Melanic Darkened coloring, brown to black, often contrasting
with less melanized tissue. Proboscis Slender tubular feeding organ of adult butterflies
and moths.
Melanization Increase in the amount of melanin (brown-black
pigmentation), which results in darkening of the color of Process Projection from a surface, margin, or appendage.
some individuals. Processional Describing the nose-to-tail processional
Meristem Plant tissue containing unspecialized cells that movement of caterpillars of some moth species.
divide continually, enabling growth to take place. Prolegs Fleshy, unjointed structures found on the ventral
Mesic Habitats with intermediate amounts of moisture; surface of the abdomen of caterpillars; used for larval
not decidedly wet or dry. movement but generally lacking musculature.
Pronotal Of, or pertaining to, the dorsal plate of the
Mesophyll Internal part of a leaf, containing chlorophyll and
located between the upper and lower epidermis. prothorax, the first segement of the thorax.
Pronotum Dorsal plate of the prothorax.
Mesothorax Second (middle) segment of the thorax.
Metathorax Third (rear) segment of the thorax. Prothorax First (front), or prothoracic, segment of the thorax.
Mine Feeding tunnel of a caterpillar within a leaf or other Pubescent Hairy or downy.
part of a plant. Puddling Feeding by butterflies and moths on wet mud or
Molt Shedding of exoskeleton, or skin, to allow for growth. sand to imbibe salts and minerals.
Pupa (pl. pupae) Generally inactive developmental stage
Monocot Plant sprouting from a seed with a single leaf
(grasses and sedges, for example). of butterflies and moths, intermediate between larva and
adult, when the caterpillar pupates, or enters pupation,
Montane Of high altitude or mountainous habitats. during which its cells are reorganized into the adult form.
Morph Form. Rangeland Grasslands, shrublands, wetlands, and deserts
grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals.
Müllerian mimicry Form of mimicry in which two poisonous
species that share a predator, or several predators, have Refugium (pl. refugia) Place providing protection or shelter.
evolved to resemble one another to avoid predation (see
also Batesian mimicry). Relict Organism or ecosystem that originally occupied a large
expanse but is now narrowly confined.
Myrmecophilous Living symbiotically (in close association)
with ants. Riparian Areas of land adjacent to streams or rivers.
Rugose Having wrinkles.
Ocherous Of the color of ocher, a natural earth pigment (light
brownish yellow). Satyrid, satyrine Denoting butterflies of the Satyrinae
Oligophagous Using several closely related host plants. subfamily within the family Nymphalidae.
Scale Flat seta, many of which cover the wings of butterflies
Ontogeny Sequence of developmental events that collectively
characterize an individual. and moths and occur in various shapes and colors.
Scat Animal fecal dropping.
Osmeterium Y-shaped gland located behind the head of
caterpillars in the family Papilionidae that can be everted to Sclerotized Part of the body that has been hardened
emit a chemical disagreeable to potential predators. by sclerotin.