Glossary of Terms

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Definitions adapted from Torre-Bueno Glossary of Entomology (Nichols 1989), Lawrence et al. (2011), and Nearns et al. (2016).

A

• anal veins: longitudinal unbranched veins posterior to the cubitus, articulating at the wing base and occupying the clavus of the wing


• antenna: in larval and adult insects, paired segmented appendages, borne one on each side of the head, functioning as sense organs and bearing a large number of sensilla (plural: antennae)


• antennal cavity: a groove or fossa in which the antenna is located, retracted, or concealed. In Monotomidae, usually a simple groove on the underside of the head between the eyes and gena


• antennal club: the more or less enlarged distal articles of a clubbed antennae
  • In Monotomidae, the club consists of at least one terminal segment, formed from the union of the true 11th and 10th antennomeres. Thus, all Monotomidae have at least one antennal club segment, with longer, more stout sensory setae. The true 11th antennomere is NEVER counted in the number of club segments, stop at the 10th.
  • The second club segment is only ever formed from the enlargement and extra setation of the 9th antennomere. Usually, if the 9th antennomere is as wide as the 10th, then it counts as a second club segment. In some rare cases, the second club segment is slightly smaller than the 10th, but still has sensory setae, so it is counted as a club segment.


• antennomere: a subunit of the antenna, including scape, pedicel, and flagellomeres


• apex: end of any structure distad to the base (plural: apices)


• arcuate: arched or bow-like


• Atta: a Neotropical and Nearctic genus of ants (Formicidae) known for leaf cutting and fungus gardening (Atta, AntWeb)


• attenuate: gradually tapering apically

B

• base: the part of any appendage or structure that is nearest the body


• bidentate: having two teeth


• bifid: cleft or divided into two parts; forked

C

• carina: an elevated ridge or keel, not necessarily high or acute (plural: carinae)


• clavate: thickening gradually toward the tip


• clypeus: that part of the insect head below the frons, to which the labrum is attached anteriorly


• conical: wider at base than apex


• contiguous: so near together as to touch


• costa: the first longitudinal vein of the wing, running along the anterior margin and terminating before the wing apex


• coxa: the basal segment of the leg, by means of which it is articulated to the body


• crenulate: having the margin finely notched with small, rounded teeth (noun: crenulations)


• cubitus: the longitudinal vein of the wing immediately posterior to the media, with two primary branches, cubitus anterior (which may be branched itself), and a weaker unbranched cubitus posterior


• cuticle: a secretion of the epidermis, covering the entire body of the insect


• cylindrical: shaped like a cylinder, parallel sided

D

• dimorphic: occurring in two distinct forms


• distad: toward the distal end


• distal: near or toward the free end of any appendage; that part of a segment farthest from the body


• divergent: spreading out from a common base

E

• elongate: much longer than wide


• elytron: the leathery forewing of beetles, serving as a covering for the hind wings, commonly meeting opposite elytron in a straight line down the middle of the dorsum in repose (plural: elytra)


• emarginate: notched at the margin


• epimeron: the posterior division of a thoracic pleuron, marked anteriorly by the pleural sulcus


• epipleuron: the deflexed or inflexed portion of the elytron, laterally when the elytra are closed


• epipleural fold: the raised lower edge of the epipleuron; the point where the elytra fold over to cover the lateral side of body

F

• filiform: threadlike, i.e., slender and of equal diameter, being commonly applied to antennae


• Formica: a genus of ants (Formicidae) that make large mounds or nests in various habitats; often given the common names "wood ants, mound ants, or field ants" (Formica, AntWeb; Bugguide.net)


• flagellomere: one part of a multiannulated flagellum of an antenna


• flattened: not evenly rounded, distinctly less deep than wide


• frons: the upper anterior portion of the head capsule, usually a distinct sclerite between the epicranium and clypeus


• frontoclypeal suture: the suture between the frons and the clypeus

G

• gena: the part of the cranium on each side below the eye (plural: genae)


• glabrous: smooth, devoid of pubescence; devoid of any sculpturing


• granulate: minutely and densely verrucose or minutely farinose

H

• humerus: shoulder; the basal exterior angle of the elytra (plural: humeri)

I

• infuscate: smoky gray-brown, with a blackish tinge


• intercoxal process: a median protrusion of the basal segment of the abdomen between the hind coxae (also known as abdominal process

L

• labrum: the upper lip, abutting the clypeus in front of the mouth


• labial palp: the one to four segmented (two-three in Monotomidae) appendage of the insect labium, borne on the palpiger


• labium: the fused second maxillae, forming the floor of the mouth in mandibulate insects, behind the first maxillae and opposed to the labrum


• lobe: a rounded projection of protuberence

M

• macula: a spot or mark (plural: maculae)


• maxilla: second pair of jaws in insects with chewing mouthparts, represented by some structure in all insects with functional mouthparts (plural maxillae)


• maxillary palp: one to seven (three-four in Monotomidae) segmented appendage of the insect maxilla, carried by the stipes on its outer end, being sensory in function


• median vein: the longitudinal vein system posterior to the radius (also media)


• mesepimeron: the epimeron of the mesothorax


• mesocoxa: coxa of the midleg (plural: mesocoxae)


• mesofemur: midfemur (plural: mesofemora)


• mesosternum: sternum of the mesothorax


• mesosternal process: a prolongation of the mesosternum extending between the mesocoxae


• metacoxa: coxa of the hind leg (plural: metacoxae)


• metacoxal bead: small ridges extending from the posterior margin of the metacoxal cavity on the anterior edge of the first abdominal sternite, also known as metaventral lines or postcoxal lines


• metafemur: hind femur (plural: metafemora)


• microsculpture: small lines and patterns forming the surface of insect cuticle (only visible under high magnification in diffuse light)


• moniliform: beaded like a necklace, e.g., monoliform antennae


• mycophagous: feeding on fungus or fungal products

O

• oblong: longer than broad


• occiput: dorsal part of the head between the occipital sulcus and the postoccipital sulcus


• ommatidium: one of the visual elements of the compound eye (plural: ommatidia)

P

• paramedian: lateral and parallel to the midline


• pectinate: applied especially to antennae or claws, with even processes like the teeth of a comb


• phytophagous: feeding in or on plants


• plaque: area of integument marked by different formation of microsculpture than surrounding, usually bearing longer and more developed setae


• pretarsus: last segment of the insect leg (plural: pretarsae)


• procoxa: coxa of the proleg (plural: procoxae)


• process: a prolongation of a surface, of a margin, or of an appendage


• profemur: forefemur (plural: profemora)


• pronotum: the upper and dorsal part of the prothorax (plural: pronota)


• protuberance: any outgrowth or elevation above the surface


• proximal: that part of an appendage nearest the body, as opposed to distal


• pubescent: downy; clothed with soft, short, fine, loosely set hair


• punctate: set with fine, impressed points or punctures appearing as pin-pricks


• punctation: pits or depression of variable size in cuticle

R

• r-m cross: radial-medial crossvein, a more obvious and sclerotized crossvein connecting the radial and medial veins


• radius: the longitudinal vein posterior to the subcosta, starting from the base of the vein and dividing into as many as five branches


• rugose: wrinkled

S

• scape: see antennal scape


• scutellum: the triangular piece at the base and between the elytra


• serrate: sawlike, i.e., with notched edges like the teeth of a saw, e.g., serrate antennae


• seta: a sclerotized hair-like projection of the cuticle (plural: setae; adjective: setaceous)


• setigerous punctures: set with or bearing setae (also setiferous)


• sinuous: undulating, curved in and out


• spinose: armed with thorny spines, more elongate than echinate


• striate: marked with parallel, fine, longitudinal, impressed lines or furrows


• subcosta: the longitudinal vein posterior to the costa, usually unbranched, often fused with costal vein


• subcubital fleck: a denser, darker, more sclerotized patch of microtrichia (tiny hairs) on the wing surface used in holdings the wings folded together; also called a binding patch, located between the cubital and anal veins in about the middle of the hind wing


• subglabrous: not quite glabrous (appearing glabrous except under high magnification)


• subquadrate: not quite a square


• subtruncate: not quite cut off squarely at the tip


• sulcus: groove with a purely functional origin


• suture: groove marking the line of fusion of two formerly distinct plates; the line of junction of elytra

T

• tarsomere: subdivision or article of the tarsus, usually numbering from two to five


• tarsus: the leg segment attached to the apex of the tibia, bearing the pretarsus and consisting from one to five tarsomeres (plural: tarsi)


• tarsal claw: usually paired claws of the pretarsus, at the apex of the leg


• transverse: broader than long


• tridentate: with three teeth


• Trigona: a genus of Meliponine bees in the family Apidae that do not sting, native to Central and South America and the Indo-Australian region


• trochantin: free sclerotized remnant of the coxopleurite located at the base of the leg, providing a second point of pleural articulation with the coxa


• truncate: cut off squarely at the tip


• tubercle: a small knoblike or rounded protuberance


• type: a particular kind of specimen; e.g. allotype, cotype, holotype, lectotype, paratype, syntype

U

• uncate: hooked; barbed


• unidentate: with one tooth

V

• ventrite: sternite of beetles (the first true sternite is internalized and not visible in most beetles, so the term ventrite is preferred for ease of morphological identification)


• vertex: the top of the head between the eyes, frons and occiput, anterior to the occipital suture (plural: vertices)

X

• xylophagous: feeding on xylem or wood