Nymph (biology)
Immature form of some invertebrates
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In biology , a nymph (from Ancient Greek νύμφα nūmphē meaning "bride") is the immature form of some invertebrates , particularly insects , which undergoes gradual metamorphosis ( hemimetabolism ) before reaching its adult stage. [1] Unlike a typical larva , a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult, except for a lack of wings (in winged species). In addition, while a nymph moults , it never enters a pupal stage. Instead, the final moult results in an adult insect. [2] Nymphs undergo multiple stages of development called instars .
This is the case, for example, in Orthoptera ( crickets , grasshoppers and locusts ), Hemiptera ( cicadas , shield bugs , whiteflies , aphids , leafhoppers , froghoppers , treehoppers etc.), mayflies , termites , cockroaches , mantises , stoneflies and Odonata ( dragonflies and damselflies ). [3]
Nymphs of aquatic insects , as in the Odonata, Ephemeroptera, and Plecoptera, are also called naiads , an Ancient Greek name for mythological water nymphs . Some entomologists have said that it the terms larva, nymph and naiad [4] should be used according to the developmental mode classification (hemimetabolous, paurometabolous or holometabolous) but others have pointed out that there is no real confusion. [5] In older literature, these were sometimes referred to as the heterometabolous insects, as their adult and immature stages live in different environments ( terrestrial vs. aquatic ). [6]
Relationship with humans
In fly fishing with artificial flies, this stage of aquatic insects is the basis for an entire series of representative patterns for trout. [7] They account for over half of the over all patterns regularly fished in the United States.
See also
- Naiads in Greek mythology
References
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- ↑ Encyclopedia of Entomology Ed. John L. Capinera. Dordrecht, London, Springer. 2008, 2nd Ed. ISBN 978-1-4020-6242-1 (Print) 978-1-4020-6359-6 (Online)
- ↑ Truman, James (1999). "The origins of insect metamorphosis" . Nature . 401 (6752): 447–52. Bibcode : 1999Natur.401..447T . doi : 10.1038/46737 . PMID 10519548 . S2CID 4327078 . Archived from the original on 2014-01-31.
- ↑ Britton, David (9 July 2009). "Metamorphosis: a remarkable change" . Australian Museum . Retrieved 13 July 2015 .
- ↑ Bybee, Seth M.; Hansen, Quinn; Büsse, Sebastian; Cahill Wightman, Haley M.; Branham, Marc A. (2015). "For consistency's sake: the precise use of larva, nymph and naiad within Insecta: The use of larva, nymph and naiad within Insecta" . Systematic Entomology . 40 (4): 667–670. doi : 10.1111/syen.12136 . S2CID 83922500 .
- ↑ Redei, David; Stys, Pavel (July 2016). "Larva, nymph and naiad - for accuracy's sake" . Systematic Entomology . 41 (3): 505–510. doi : 10.1111/syen.12177 . ISSN 0307-6970 . S2CID 87053533 .
- ↑ Tutt, J. W. (1897). "The Nature of Metamorphosis" . Proceedings of the South London Entomological & Natural History Society : 20–27 . Retrieved 17 August 2020 .
- ↑ Austin, Matthew (2004). "Nymph patterns of flies" . San Diego: theflystop.com.
Authority control
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