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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. | |
 falcate |
sickle-shaped; descriptive of a structure that is long, narrow, tapered and curved |
| femora(l) | plural of femur (adjective) |
| femur | third segment of the leg (after coxa and trochanter) |
| fertilization | the union of female and male gametes, egg and sperm respectively |
| fibrilliform | a structure that has part of its whole in the form of fibrils |
| fibril | small thread-like structure |
| fibrous | composed of or resembling fibres |
| filament | a thread-like slender process of uniform diameter |
| filamentous | filament- or thread-like |
| filiform | thread-like |
| filter feeder | an organism that feeds on small organisms by straining them from the surrounding medium |
| filtratory | able to remove fine particles from water |
| fission | asexual reproduction by division of a unicellular organism into two or more new equal sized individuals |
| flagella | plural of flagellum |
| flagellum | whip-like or hair-like structure in many invertebrates |
| flange | a projecting rim or edge that provides structure support and strength |
| flexure | a turn, bend or fold |
| flocculent | descriptive of a structure consisting of soft flakes; descriptive of a structure covered with waxy material, appearing like wool |
| foliaceous | leaf-like; descriptive of thin, laminate structures |
| food chain | a trophic path through which energy flows as a result of feeding |
| fore- | front |
| foreleg | first leg |
| foretrochanter | trochanter of the foreleg |
| foretrochantin | trochantin of the foreleg |
| forewing | the anterior wing which is attached to the mesothorax |
| foveate | with pits or depressions in the integument |
| free living | not parasitic or ectoparasitic |
| free swimming | not constructing a portable case |
| freshwater | water containing less than 0.5 parts per thousand dissolved salt (sodium chloride) |
| friction pad | roughened area on the lateral hump believed to help the larvae stay in its case |
| frons | in Insecta, upper/anterior portion of the
head in Crustacea, anterior part of cephalon bearing the clypeus, found between antennule and antennae, below rostrum or vertex |
| frontal | descriptive of structure or process associated with the anterior region of the head |
| frontoclypeal (us) | the combined frons and clypeus when the suture between them is obsolete (plural) |
| furcula | any small forked process; in Collembola, the forked forwardly-directed appendage (on fourth abdominal sternum), used to propel the organism upwards |
| furrow | narrow, elongate depression on any surface |
| fusiform | spindle-shaped; any structure which is elongate, broad near the middle of the long axis and tapering toward the ends |
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| gamete |
mature egg or sperm cell |
| gelatinous | jelly-like |
| gemmule | any small asexual reproductive unit |
| gena(e) | the sclerotized area of the head from below the eye and extending ventrally to the posterior margin of the head, meeting or separated at the occipital margin |
| genetalia | external components of the reproductive system |
| geniculate | descriptive of a structure or appendage that is 'knee-jointed' or abruptly bent in an obtuse angle |
| genital | referring to the structure or function of the genetalia |
| gill | feathery, plate-like or filamentous aquatic organ used for respiration |
| gill chamber | alternative to branchial chamber |
| glabrous | with a smooth even surface; without hairs, punctures or stuctures |
| glandularia | a specialised organ located in the integument of deutonymphs and adult mites, consisting of a small, goblet-shaped sac or gland with a tiny external opening, and an associated seta. Glandularia have both a sensory and secretory function |
| glochidia | plural of glochidium |
| glochidium | larva of freshwater mussels |
| gnathopod | in Crustacea, chelate, prehensile maxilliped in Amphipoda, first two prehensile pereiopods whether chelate or subchelate |
| gregarious | referring to organisms that live in communities, but not social |
| groundwater | water that sinks down through the soil and rock and collects in underground aquifers |
| gula | the throat sclerite forming the central part of the head beneath, next to the posterior tentorial pits, extending from the submentum to the posterior margin, and laterally bounded by the genae OR form of sclerotic closure along the posterior aspect of head which separates occipital foramen and labium |
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| habitat |
the totality of the biotic and abiotic conditions of the area in which an organism lives |
| hatching | surface marks, lines or scratches that are numerous, short
and close set; in Insecta, breaking of the eggshell by the embryo during emergence |
| head capsule | hard outer covering of head |
| heavy metals | any metallic element with an atomic weight greater than 100 |
| helicoid | spiral; shaped like a snail's shell |
| hemelytra(l) | plural of hemelytron(adjective) |
| hemelytron | forewing with a distal membranous section |
| hemispherical | shaped like the half of a globe or sphere; semiglobose |
| herbivore | plant eating |
| herbivorous | descriptive of organism that feed upon plant tissue |
| hermaphrodite | possessing both male and female reproductive organs |
| heterochelate | chelae of left and right chelipeds differing in shape and size |
| hind- | back |
| hindleg | last leg |
| homochelous | chelae of left and right chelipeds having similar shape and size |
| host | an organism which provides nutrition or protection essential for the development of another organism |
| hydrofugal | adjective for hydrofuge |
| hydrofuge | water repellent hairs |
| hydrophobic | the characteristic of repelling water |
| hypersaline | term generally referring to a water body with a salinity higher than seawater |
| hypogean | an organism that lives in a subterranean habitat |
| hypognathous | descriptive of organisms with the head vertically oriented and the mouth directed ventrally |
| hyporheic | zone around a river, especially in gravel beds, in which water and its microflora and fauna extends as ground water throughout surrounding area |
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| idiosoma |
the prosoma and opisthosoma, the body of ticks and mites |
| imago | flying adult |
| impressed | descriptive of a structure or surface containing shallow depressed areas or markings |
| incisor process | distal biting part of the mandible |
| incrassate | thickened, becoming thicker |
| incubation | the development period between fertilization and hatching |
| inserted | a condition in which the base of one part is set into an adjacent part |
| instar | a juvenile stage in a growth series between moults |
| integument | a skin, shell or outer layer |
| intercoxal process | a median protrusion of the basal abdominal segment between the hind coxae |
| intermoult stage | stage in the lifecycle between moults when the exoskeleton hardens |
| interstitial(ly) | occurring in the pores spaces between sand grains and soil particles (referring to) |
| inundation | a flood event or when dry temporary pools are refilled with the first rains of the season |
| invertebrate | organism without a backbone |
| ischium | article three of pereopod; fifth article from distal end of leg; first large article of maxilliped |
| isomorphic | referring to structures with the same form |
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