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| Sources for definitions: Gordh & Headric 2001, Martin & Davis 2004, Lawrence 2000, Thorp& Covitch 1991, Merriam-Webster 2005, Blass 2007 and the various identification key references. | |
 abdomen |
in Insecta, third of the three divisions
of the whole animal (head, thorax, abdomen) in Crustacea, equals pleon plus urosome |
| abdominal | belonging to or referring to the abdomen |
| abiotic | descriptive of something not alive |
| abundance | total number of individuals in an area, volume, population or community structure |
| adaptation | a feature of an organism that makes it suited to a particular environment |
| acetabulum | a cavity in the integument into which an appendage is fitted, creating a ball and socket type joint |
| aerated | to contain oxygen |
| aerial | referring to flying forms |
| air-straps | short breathing structures located at the anal end of the abdomen |
| algae | group of photosynthetic organisms with simple structure, may be unicellular, colonial or multi cellular |
| alimentary | referring to the function of nutrition |
| ambulatory | adapted for walking |
| anal | descriptive of structure or process associated with the anus, or last abdominal segment |
| animalcule | a minute, usually microscopic organism |
| annulate | ring-shaped; composed of ring-like segments; with ring-like constrictions; having colour arranged in ring-like bands |
| ante-apical(ly) | referring to a structure preceding the apex (adverb or adjective) |
| antenna(e) | jointed sensory organ or feeler on head (plural) |
| antennule | ismall antenna or feeler; specifically first pair of antennae |
| ante-ocular | before the eye |
| anterior(ly) | head end, forward facing section (adverb or adjective) |
| antero- | the front |
| anterodorsal(ly) | toward the anterior and dorsal surface (adverb or adjective) |
| anterolateral(ly) | located toward the front and side surface of a body or appendage (adverb or adjective) |
| anteroventral(ly) | located toward the front and ventral surface of a body or appendage (adverb or adjective) |
| anus | opening of the posterior end of the digestive tract, through which excrement is passed |
| aperture | hole or opening |
| apex | tip or summit |
| apical(ly) | at, near or referring to the apex of any structure (adverb or adjective) |
| apices | plural of apex |
| apicoventral(ly) | located toward the apex and ventral area of a body or appendage (adverb or adjective) |
| apotome | a sclerotized part of the head capsule that is separated at ecdysis |
| appendage | any part, piece or organ attached to the body by a joint or other main structure |
| appressed | pressed close to |
| apterous | wingless |
| aquaculture | raising of algae, fish and shellfish for human use |
| aquatic | water dwelling |
| aquifer | a layer of permeable rock, sand or gravel that absorbs water and allows free passage through the interstices (spaces) of the rock |
| armature | any spinuous or sclerotized process on the body, leg or wing that presumably functions in defence |
| arolia | plural of arolium |
| arolium | soft hairy pad at extreme tip of insect leg |
| article | a sclerotized portion of any articulated segment of an arthropod's body |
| articulate | jointed or segmented |
| articulating | to unite by a joint or joints |
| asexual | without sex; producing eggs or young by cell-budding; reproductive organs incomplete |
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| backwater |
small branch of a river with no flow, except during flood events |
| bacterivorous | feeding on bacteria |
| basal | at or near the base; referring to point of attachment nearest the main body; forming the base |
| basipodite | in Insecta, the segment following the coxopodite
in the maxilla; in Crustacea, second article (from body) of leg or maxilliped; sixth segment from distal end of limb |
| basitarsus | the proximal or basal segment of the tarsus |
| benthic | of or referring to bottom of water body |
| bidentate | referring to structure with two teeth or tooth-like projections |
| bifid | referring to structure that is forked, cleft or divided into two parts or lobes |
| biforous | pertaining to structure with two openings; a term usually applied to spiracles |
| billabong | an elongated waterhole in the bed of a temporary stream; a waterhole formed by a cut off bend of a river |
| bilobed | having two lobes |
| biotic | descriptive of something with the dynamical properties of living organisms |
| biramous | divided into two branches |
| bivalve(d) | made up of two valves or shells, which are hinged together |
| bloom | seasonal dense growth of algae or phytoplankton |
| bog | an ecological habitat characterized by wet, very acidic peat |
| brackish water | water with a salinity of 0.5-30 parts per thousand total dissolved solids |
| branchia(e) | a gill, air-tubes or gill-like processes of aquatic larvae; finger-like or paddle-like projection |
| branchial chamber | chamber produced from a deep lateral fold of the carapace in which the gills are situated |
| branchial region | lateral part of the carapace overlying the branchiae |
| branchiocardiac groove | lateral groove below the eye, commencing at the anterior margin of the head, separating the branchial and cardiac regions |
| branchiostegal area | part of carapace extending laterally and downward over branchiae |
| brood case | cavity within the body in which eggs or juveniles are incubated |
| buccula(e) | a small distended area consisting of elevated sclerites or ridges on the ventral part of the head and side of the rostrum (plural) |
| budding | method of asexual reproduction in which new individuals develop as outgrowths of the parent organism, and may eventually be set free |
| burrower | an organism that burrows |
| bursa | a pouch or sac |
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| caducous |
pertaining to parts that fall off early; are easily detached or shed |
| caecum | blind-ended diverticulum or pouch from part of the alimentary canal or other hollow organ |
| caeca | plural of caecum |
| calcareous | consisting of mostly calcium carbonate |
| calceolus | complex sensory filament on antennules |
| calceoli | plural of calceolus |
| calcified | deposited with calcium |
| campodeiform | flattened and elongated with well developed legs and antennae |
| canal | a channel or groove |
| capsule | any small, closed vessel or structure enveloping another structure; sac-like membrane enclosing a organ |
| carapace | chitinous or bony shield covering part or entire body |
| cardiac region | median part of the carapace behind the cervical groove |
| cardines | plural of cardo |
| cardo | in Insecta, basal segment of maxilla or
secondary jaw in Bivalvia, hinge of shell |
| carina(e) | an elevation or ridge of the cuticle (plural) |
| carinate | descriptive of a surface with keel-like elevations or ridges; referring to a structure bearing one or more narrow raised ridges |
| carnivore | organism that feeds on other organisms |
| carnivorous | descriptive of organism that feeds on other organisms |
| carpus | in Odonata, the extremity of the forewing
radius and cubitus, or the place on the wing at which they are transversely
folded in Crustacea, fifth article of pereopod |
| cascade | a small waterfall or series of falls |
| caste | a behavourial type in a social insects |
| caudal | referring to the posterior end of body |
| caudal filament | long, slender, segmented process projecting from posterior end of body |
| caudal gill | gill at the posterior end of body |
| caudal processes | group of projections at the posterior end of body |
| caudolateral | referring to the side of the posterior end of body |
| cavity | a hollow space or opening |
| centrolateral | referring to the middle of the side surface of the body |
| cephalic | attached to the head |
| cephalon | the head |
| cephalothorax | body region formed by fusion of head and thorax |
| cerci | jointed paired sensory appendages of the apparent tenth abdominal tergum of arthropods |
| cervical groove | complex groove running along dorsal surface of the carapace, appears to delimit the head |
| chela(e) | the terminal portion of a limb bearing a lateral, moveable claw (plural) |
| chelate | pincer-like; bearing a chela or claw |
| chelicera | one of the pair of prehensile appendages at the extreme anterior end of Acarina |
| cheliped | a thoracic appendage ending in a chela |
| chemo-reception | sending and receiving chemical stimuli |
| cephalon | anterior region of the body bearing the antennules, antennae, eyes, mandibles, maxillules, and maxillae |
| cephalothorax | cephalon and first two thoracomeres |
| chitin | rigid, colourless, nitrogenous polysaccharide secretion of the epidermis |
| chitinous | composed of chitin or like chitin in texture |
| cilia(e) | hair-like outgrowth of the ectoderm (plural) |
| ciliated | referring to structure fringed or lined with a row of parallel setae or cilia |
| claval commisure | joining line between two parts of the clavus |
| clavus | the part of the hemelytron lying next to the scutellum |
| cleft | partly divided longitudinally; a space made by a crack, fissure
or fracture; in Coleoptera, claws divided such that parts lie one above the other |
| climber | climbs plant stems |
| clinger | clings to surfaces |
| clitellum | saddle-like region |
| clutch | eggs deposited during an egg laying episode |
| clypeus | in Insecta, anterior sclerite of the head,
below the frons and above the labrum in Crustacea, plate on anterior medial part of head formed by the fusion of basal segments of the antennae |
| cocoon | protective covering of the larvae in which the pupa develops |
| coecum (pl coeca) | a blind sac or tube; applied to a series of appendages opening into the alimentary canal at the junction of the gizzard and chylific ventricle |
| collector | an animal that feeds by collecting plant or animal detritus from the substrata |
| colonial | collection of same species of organisms living together |
| colonize | to invade a new habitat |
| colony | individuals of one species living in close association in space and time |
| commensal | an organism in a relationship with another without either being harmed, usually in relation to food and shelter |
| commisure | in Hemiptera, the lengthened line of union
where the hemelytra meet along the clavus below the apex of the scutellum; in Coleoptera, the joint in the costal nerve of the wing it bends at the transverse fold |
| community | a well defined assemblage of plants or organisms, clearly distinguishable from other assemblages |
| concave | curved like the interior of a circle; hollow and curved |
| concavity | a concave surface |
| concentric | pertaining to structures with a common centre; descriptive of circles and spheres of different size and which have a common centre |
| conical | relating to or resembling a cone |
| connate | pertaining to structures that are fused or immovably united |
| connexival | referring to the connexivum |
| connexivum | prominent abdominal margin at the junction of the dorsal and ventral plates |
| constriction | point where margins are drawn in |
| contiguous | descriptive of structures with points, margins or surfaces which are in contact but not fused |
| convex | outer curved surface of sphere |
| copepodid | post naupliar developmental stages |
| copepodite | a larval stage which has the general adult features but the abdomen is usually unsegmented and there may be only three pairs of thoracic appendages |
| copulation | sexual union |
| copulatory | of or pertaining to copulation or pairing |
| coriaceous | leather-like; thick, tough and somewhat rigid |
| corium | the elongate, middle portion of the hemelytron; the entire hard part of the wings as distinguished from membrane (exclusive of clavus) |
| costal nervure | first principal nerve of the wing |
| coxa(e) | leg joint nearest the body (plural) |
| coxal | descriptive of or pertaining to the coxa |
| coxal cavity | opening or base in which the coxa articulates |
| coxopodite | the primary basal segment of an appendage, representing the primitive limb basis |
| cranial | referring to the sclerotized portion of the head capsule |
| crawler | crawls along substrates |
| creek | a small tributary, stream or branch of a river |
| cremaster | cluster of minute hooks (sometimes just one larger hook) at apex of abdomen |
| crenation | a scalloped margin or rounded tooth |
| crenulate | descriptive of a structure's margin or a surface with small scallops that are evenly rounded and rather deeply curved |
| crochet | curved spines or hooks on the prolegs or cremaster of pupae. |
| cross-section | a section made by a plane cutting an organism or structure transversely, at right angles to the longest axis |
| cryptic(ally) | hidden or concealed (adverb or adjective) |
| cryptobiosis | a resting state in which metabolism comes to a reversible halt |
| ctenidium | a comb-like row of short bristles |
| ctenidia | plural of ctenidium |
| cupule | a cup-shaped organ |
| cursorial | descriptive of legs that are adapted for running, typically long and tapered |
| cutaneous | of or pertaining to the outer skin or cutex |
| cutex | the skin |
| cuticle | outer skin or exuviae of cast skin |
| cuticular | relating to the cuticle |
| cyst | resting cell surrounded by a protective coat, usually formed in dry conditions |
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| dactyl |
a finger, toe or digit (alt. dactylus) in Crustacea, article seven of pereopod; article six of cheliped |
| dactylus | in Insecta, a tarsal segment following the
basitarsus in Crustacea, terminal or distal article of leg; movable finger of cheliped |
| dam | a structure made by humans to collect overground storm water flow, especially on farms; a structure made by humans to control the flow of a river, usually to store and release as required |
| delimited | the limits ("edges") of an area are defined or marked |
| delineate | to distinguish the outline |
| demarcated | with set boundaries; distinguished |
| dendritic | having many branches |
| denodate | dentate, toothed, with large saw-like teeth on the margin |
| dentate | toothed, with large saw-like teeth on the margin |
| dentation | a toothed margin; a tooth-like projection or processes |
| denticle | a small tooth or cuticular projection |
| depositional zone | lower reach of a stream, where the stream is generally wider and slower flowing |
| desiccation | removal of water; the process of drying out |
| detritivore | an organism that feeds on detritus |
| detritivorous | descriptive of organisms that feed upon detritus |
| detritus | small pieces of dead and decomposing plants and organisms |
| dextral | pertaining to or positioned on the right side of the body. in Trichoptera and Gastropoda, referring to the direction of coiling in the case/shell |
| diatom | a group of algae characterized by delicately marked thin double shells of silica (phylum Bacillariophyta) |
| digitate | having parts arranged like the fingers in a hand |
| digitiform | finger-shaped |
| dimorphic | structure that occurs in two distinct forms, typically expressed in colouration, size or shape |
| dimorphism | a genetically controlled condition in which individuals of a species are characterized by distinctive patterns of colouration, size or shape |
| dioecious | having male and female reproductive parts on different individuals |
| dispariamous | not similar in form |
| distal(ly) | end of any structure furthest away from midline of an organism or from point of attachment (adverb or adjective) |
| diurnal | active in daytime |
| diver | an organism that dives |
| divergent | separated from one another, having tips further apart than the bases |
| diversity | variety in taxa |
| diverticulum | blind-ended tube or sac opening off a canal or cavity |
| dormant | referring to organisms in a period of physical inactivity |
| dorsal(ly) | the upper or top surface |
| dorsolateral(ly) | referrring to the side of an upper surface (adverb or adjective) |
| dorsoventral(ly) | from upper to lower surface (adverb or adjective) |
| dorsum | in general, the upper surface |
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| ecdysial
line |
a part of the ecdysial suture |
| ecdysial suture | a longitudinal suture that separates epicranial halves of the head, may be Y-, U- or V-shaped; area of exit from old integument at time of ecdysis |
| ecdysis | moulting, the process of shedding of the integument |
| ecological | referring to conditions determined by the biotic surroundings |
| ecosystem | an ecological system formed of a community and the abiotic environment surrounding the system |
| ectocommensal | an organism that lives in close association with the surface of another from whom it obtains benefits such as shelter and protection, but whom it does not harm |
| ectoparasite | a parasite that develops on the external surface of a host's body |
| ectoparasitic | referring to an ectoparasite |
| elliptical | oblong-oval; descriptive of stucture whose ends are equally rounded and together forming an even ellipsoid |
| elytra | pair of hardened forewings of beetle |
| emerge | to come out of a case or cocoon |
| emergence | the escape of a winged adult from its cocoon, pupal case or nymphal integument |
| emergent macrophyte | vegetation emerging above the water surface |
| empodium | a structure of variable size and shape located between the pretarsal claws |
| encrusting | growing in the form of a flat mat over a given surface |
| encyst(ing) | to surround with an outer tough coat or capsule (the process of) |
| encystment | the state of having an outer tough coat or capsule |
| endemic | confined to (or found only in) a particular area, region or country |
| endite | a mesal lobe of any limb segment |
| endopod | inner ramus of a uropod |
| endopodite | inner branch of a biramous appendage e.g. pereopod |
| engulfer | organism that feeds by engulfment (ingest whole organism parts) |
| entognathous | mouthparts recessed within the head |
| environment(al) | the total of the natural conditions under which an organism lives (referring to) |
| ephemeral | short lived (of water body) |
| ephippal | referring to the ephippium |
| ephippium | a semi-elliptical part of dorsal region which encases the eggs |
| epi- | upon; signifying above or upon |
| epicranial | relating or pertaining to the epicranium |
| epicranium | the upper part of the head from the front to the neck; often used to include front, vertex and genae |
| epigean | an animal living on or foraging upon the surface of the earth |
| epilithic | animals living attached to rocks |
| epistome | the sclerite immediately behind or above the labrum |
| epiphragm | membrane or plate that closes an opening |
| epiproct | supra-anal dorsal plate or projection representing part of the eleventh segment |
| epithelium | any layer of cells that cover a surface or line a cavity |
| estuarine | referring to animals that inhabit an estuary |
| estuary | place where the river meets the sea |
| eutrophic | having high levels of nutrients |
| eversible | descriptive of something turned outward or inside out; capable of being turned outward or inside out |
| excavate | hollowed out |
| excurrent | narrowly prolonged |
| exopod | outer ramus of a uropod |
| exopodite | outer branch of a biramous appendage e.g. pereopod |
| exopterygote | an insect in which the wings develop externally throughout the later nymphal stages, the life cycle involves incomplete metamorphosis |
| exoskeleton | hard supporting structure secreted by and external to the ectoderm or skin, chitinous in Arthropoda, calcareous in some Porifera |
| exserted | protruded; projecting beyond the body or over a given point |
| extrusible | able to push, turn or force out |
| exuvia(e) | |
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