Hemimetabolic (Adjective)
Meaning
(of an insect with aquatic young) undergoing incomplete metamorphosis in which the young does not resemble the adult.
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- Dragonflies are hemimetabolic insects, with their young stages living in water and breathing through gills before emerging onto land as adults.
- The hemimetabolic development of stoneflies involves a series of molts as the nymphs grow and eventually emerge from the water as winged adults.
- True bugs, such as water striders, are hemimetabolic, with their young stages resembling small versions of the adults but lacking fully developed wings.
- The hemimetabolic life cycle of mayflies is characterized by a long aquatic nymph stage, followed by a brief adult stage that often lasts just a few hours.
- Damselflies are hemimetabolic insects that undergo a series of molts as they grow from aquatic nymphs into flying adults.