heterometabolism

/ˌhɛtəroʊməˈtæbəlɪzəm/
noun
  1. A type of insect development where the young (nymphs) look somewhat like the adults but lack wings, and wings gradually appear as they grow.
    • Students learned that heterometabolism is common in bugs, crickets, and cockroaches.
    • Grasshoppers undergo heterometabolism, hatching as wingless nymphs that look like tiny adults.
    • In heterometabolism, the insect does not have a resting pupal stage like a butterfly does.
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