Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by John Bernhard Smith
Iceous or Icius: suffix; expresses a likeness or the possession of a character see aceus.
Icotypes: typical specimens which serve for purposes of identification, but have not been used in literature.
Idiotype: a specimen named by the author after comparison with the type, but not also a topotype.
Ignitus: fire-red [vermilion].
Ileo-colon: the anterior portion of the hind-gut, extending from the mid-gut to the rectum, when not distinctly differentiated into ileum and colon.
Ileum: the small intestine; begins at end of chylific ventricle at the point where malpighian tubules join, and extends to colon.
Imaginal: pertaining to the adult or imago.
Imaginal buds, cells, or discs: in forms with a complete metamorphosis are those embryonic cells around and from which the organs and appendages of the future imago develop.
Imago: the adult or sexually developed insect.
Imbricate: arranged or appearing like the scales on a fish or the shingles on a roof.
Immaculate: destitute of spots or marks.
Immarginate: without an elevated rim or margin.
Immersed -us: inserted, imbedded or hidden in.
Imponderable: that which cannot be weighed.
Impregnate-ed: to make or made fertile or pregnant: fertilized.
Impressed -us: a surface with shallow depressed areas or markings.
Impubis: without hair.
Inaequalis: unequal.
Inarticulate: not jointed or segmented.
Inaurate -us: golden yellow [pale cadmium yellow].
Ineanus: hoary.
Inch: the English and American standard of length in insect measurement: it is = 12 lines and = 25.4 mm.: usually expressed in units and hundredths, as 1.01.
Incised: notched or deeply cut into.
Incision: any cut into a margin or through a surface: the marginal slits or notches in Coccidae.
Incisure: an impressed line marking the junction of two segments: an incision.
Inclinate -us: leaning or inclining.
Inclusus: when one part is wholly or partially hidden in another.
Inconspicuous: not attracting attention or quickly noticeable.
Incrassated: thickened: rather suddenly swollen at some one point, especially near tip.
Incubate: to brood: to cause to develop; as an egg.
Incumbent: lying one over another: wings when they cover the dorsal horizontally.
Incunabulum: = folliculus and cocoon; q.v.
Incurved -ate: bowed or curved inwards.
Independent: in Lepidoptera; that vein of the wings that arises from the cross-vein closing the cell, and does not branch directly from any vein reaching the base: it is v. 5 of the numerical series in both wings and the media of Comstock.
Indeterminate: not defined nor well marked; obscure: of no constant form or shape.
Indigote: a very deep indigo blue.
Indirect: applied to metamorphosis = complete.
Indumentum: a covering of hairs, scales or tufts.
Indurated: hardened.
Indusium: the case made by an insect larva: a membranous layer of the embryo of Locustidae below the serosa.
Inequal: a surface with irregular elevations and depressions.
Inermis: unarmed: without spines or spurs.
Infericornia: Hemiptera; in which the antenna appear to be inserted well down on the sides of head; e.g. Lygaeidae.
Inferior: beneath, below or behind: a term of position.
Inferior appendage -es: in male Odonata the lower one or two of the terminal abdominal parts used to clasp the female in copulation.
Inferior wings: = hind wings or secondaries: q.v.
Infero-posterior: below and behind: refers to location.
Inflated: blown up; distended bladder-like.
Inflected: bent inward at an angle.
Inflexus: = inflected.
Infra: below or beneath: opposed to supra.
Infra-anal lobe: a thick, conical fleshy lobe, often ending in a chitinous point, situated beneath the vent in caterpillars.
Infra-cereal plates: in Orthoptera - generally inconspicuous paired plates which underlie in part the cerci and in part the lateral portion of the supra-anal plate.
Infra-clypeus: = ante-clypeus and rhinarium: q.v..
Infracted: abruptly bent inward, as if broken.
Infra-genital: below the genital opening or process.
Infra-marginal: situated below or behind the marginal cell.
Infra-median vein; in Orthoptera: = ulnar vein: q.v.
Infra-ocular: applied to the region below and between the eyes.
Infra-oesophageal: situated below oesophagus; see sub-oesophageal.
Infra-stigmatal: situated below the stigmata or spiracles.
Infringing: encroaching upon.
Infumated: clouded.
Infundibuliform: funnel-shaped.
Infuseated: smoky gray-brown, with a blackish tinge [Roman sepia].
Ingens: unusually large or disproportionate in size.
Ingluvies: the crop; q.v.
Inner lobe: of maxilla = lacinia: q.v.
Inner margin: the line extending along the lower or interior edge of the wing from the base to the hind or anal angle.
Innervate: to supply with nerves.
Innotatus: without markings.
Inocular: inserted in the inner margin of and partially or wholly surrounded by the eye.
Inquiline: a species living in a gall or other structure prepared by a different species, not as a parasite but as, a guest.
Inquiline: living as guests in the homes of others; as in galls.
Insect: a member of the class Insecta strictly limited.
Insecta: broadly defined, contains all articulates that are also tracheates and have the head free from the thorax; more strictly limited to those forms that have only three pairs of thoracic legs in the adult stage and a limited number of segments.
Insectary: a place or building where insects are bred and studied.
Insectivorous: feeding upon or devouring insects.
Insectologist: a student of insects: = entomologist.
Insectology: the science of insect study: = entomology.
Insertion: the point or place where a part is inserted: a part that is inserted: the act of inserting.
Insertus: a part that has its base set into another.
In situ: in its natural place or normal position.
Instar: the period or stage between molts in the larva, numbered to designate the various periods; e.g. the first instar is the stage between the egg and first molt, etc.: see stadium.
Institia: stria or furrows of equal width throughout.
Instrumenta cibaria: mouth parts of a mandibulate insect as a whole.
Instrumenta suctoria: mouth parts of a haustellate insect as a whole.
Integer: entire: applied to a margin without incisions.
Integument: the outer covering to the insect body.
Inter: between; among.
Inter-alar space: in Odonata; the terga of meson- and meta-thorax.
Interantennal: between the basal segments of antennae.
Inter-articular: the membranous tissue between joints or segments.
Intercalary -ies: additional or inserted between others; as a vein: plural; added or supplementary longitudinal wing reins: see under specific headings; i.e. anterior, etc.: in Ephemerides, certain longitudinal veins between the 8th (anal) and 9th (1st maxillary) and not branches of either: in Diptera, the anterior intercalary (Loew) = the discoidal, and the posterior intercalary = the cubitus 1 of Comstock: applied to an evanescent sclerite in the embryo between antenna and mandible; also termed premandibular.
Intercostal: between veins or costae; usually in the narrow grooves between veins in the costal region of a wing.
Intercostula: those small, vein-like structures between the normal veins, visible on a wing margin but lost toward the disc.
Intercoxal process: in Coleopteran; a median protrusion of the basal segment of abdomen between the hind coxae.
Intermediate: lying between others in position or possessing characters between two other forms.
Intermediate field: of termini is = discoidal field q.v.
Internal area: in Hymenoptera; the posterior of the three areas between median and lateral longitudinal carina on the metanotum third lateral area.
Internal cell: in Hymenoptera (Pack.) 2d anal (Comst.).
Internal triangle: in Odonata see triangle.
Internal veins: in Lepidoptera, from one to three in number, run free from base to outer margin near hind angle; never branched;1a to is in the numerical series: = anal veins (Comst.).
Interneural: between the nerves (or veins) of wings.
Interno-mandibular: applied to one of the pairs of salivary glands in bees, situated at the inner side of base of mandible.
Internomedian: in Orthoptera; = cubitus (Comst.); q.v.
Interocular: between the eyes.
Interplical: lying between folds; specifically applied to the alternate ridges and grooves in anal area of secondaries of Orthoptera.
Interposed sectors: in Odonata; the shorter longitudinal veins occurring in the wings of some species between the chief veins; = supplementary sectors. Interrupted: broken in continuity, but with the tips of the broken parts in a right line with each other.
Intersegmental: = interarticular; q.v.
Interspace: Coleopteran; the plane surface between elytral striae: Lepidoptera spaces between wing veins not included in closed cells.
Interspaceal: occurring in the interspaces between two wing veins or two elytral striae.
Interstice -tium: space between two lines, whether striate or punctate.
Interstitial line: the elevated ridge between two striae or series of punctures.
Interval: the space or time between two structures, sculptures or periods of development.
Interventricular: the inner valve between the chambers of the heart.
Interventricular valvule: of heart, lies in front of seluilunar valve.
Intervenular: in thespace between two veins.
Intestinal caecum: that point of the large intestine in front of the junction with the small intestine.
Intestine: that part of the alimentary canal through which the food passes from the stomach, in which absorption is completed and the excretions are formed for expulsion.
Intima: the lining membrane of the trachea: see endotrachea.
Intorted: turned or twisted inwardly.
Intra-: within: between.
Intra-alar bristles: in Diptera; a row of two or three between the supra-alar and dorso-central groups.
Intracellular: occurring within the cell or in a cell.
Infra-humeral bristles: in Diptera calyptrata; occur immediately in front of the thoracic suture, between the humeral callus and the presutural depression.
Infra-ocular: situated within the eye, actually or apparently.
Intra-pulmonary: that method of respiration which does not involve movements of the outer body wall and is confined to the respiratory organs.
Intrauterine: applied to development, when the young hatch within the vagina of the mother.
Intricate: irregular: confused; applied to markings and sculpture.
Intromittent: used for throwing within.
Intromittent organ: the penis; q.v.
Introse -um: directed inward, toward the body.
Intrusus: seemingly impressed with a sharp point.
Intumescent: enlarged; swollen: expanded.
Invaginate: when a tubular or vesicular part is turned inward or retracted within the body wall.
Invagination: a pouch or sac formed by an infolding or indrawing of the outer surface.
Investitus: unclothed: a surface without scales or hair.
Involucrate: = involute.
Involucrum alarum in Dermaptera a flap of the metanotum.
Involute: spirally rolled inwardly.
Involuti: butterflies whose larvae live in a folded leaf; Hesperidae.
Iridescent: a surface which reflects the prismatic hues.
Iridicolor: any color so broken up as to reflect the prismatic hues.
Iris: the circle which, in an ocellate spot surrounds the pupil.
Irised: with rainbow colors.
Iris-pigment: = iris tapetum.
Iris tapetum: the pigment layer of the compound eye just below the crystalline cone.
Irregular: unequal, curved, bent or otherwise twisted or modified without order or symmetry, e.g. certain antennae.
Irrorate: marked with minute points; freckled.
Isabelline -us: pale yellow with some red and brown [chronic lemon with a little carmine and roman sepia].
Ischia: = pleura; q.v.
Iso-: equal.
Isolate: to separate out from others; occurring alone.
Isomers: that series of Coleoptera in which the tarsi have an equal number of joints on all feet.
Isomerous: with equal number of tarsal joints on all feet := homoeomerous.
Isomorphous: having the same form, appearance or construction.
Isopalpi: that series of Trichoptera in which the palpi of both sexes have the same number of joints.
Isoptera: equal winged: an ordinal term for insects with four, similar, net-veined wings; mouth mandibulate; thoracic rings similar, loosely jointed metamorphosis incomplete: the Termitidae. {Scanner's note: In modern nomenclature the Isoptera constitute the order of all termites; the Termitidae are just one family within the Isoptera.}
Isotypical: a genus described from more than one species, all of which are congeneric.
-itus: = -atus; q.v.
-ius: suffix; having the power or ability to.
J
Jabot: the crop; q.v.
Janthine: violet colored.
Jaw-capsule: contains the mouth structures in those dipterous larvae in which the head is differentiated.
Johnston's organ: a complex nervous structure in the basal joint of dipterous antennae.
Joint: a segment or part between two incisures: an articulation.
Jubate -us: fringed with long pendent hairs.
Juga: the lateral anterior lobes of the head of a Heteropteron; each side of the tylo.
Jugatae: that series of Lepidoptera in which there is a jugum instead of a frenulum to unite the wings in flight.
Jugular: of or pertaining to the throat.
Jugular sclerite: small sclerite in the membrane connecting the head with the thorax: see cervical sclerite.
Jugulum: that sclerite just behind the sub-mentum; =gula: that cavity of the posterior part of the head to which the neck is annexed: the lateral and under parts of the prothorax.
Jugum: in certain Lepidoptera and Trichoptera, a lobe or process at the base of primaries, overlapping secondaries and holding the two together in flight.
K
Katabolic: the destructive change from animal tissue to waste product: see anabolic.
Keel: an elevated ridge or carina.
Kermesinus: dark red, with much blue [purple lake].
Key: a tabular or other arrangement of species, genera or other classification according to characters that serve to identify them.
Kidney-shaped: like a kidney in outline; convex on one long side, concave on the other, the ends evenly and somewhat obtusely rounded: bean-shaped.
Knee: the point of junction of femur and tibia.