“Metamorphosis in

Insects”
A presentation compiled
from various sources by
Dr. PARVISH PANDYA,
Zoology Dept. Bhavan’s College, Andheri.
Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
Sites from which presentations have been downloaded and later editted.
I am indeed thankful to them for their kindness and support :
http://esg-www.mit.edu:8001/esgbio/cb/org/organelles.html
http://faculty.pnc.edu/jcamp/parasit/parasit.html
http://www.amnh.org/rose/hope/creatinghope/
http://www.biology.eku.edu/SCHUSTER/bio%20141/POWERPOINT
%20NOTES/Intro%20to%20Protozoa_files/fullscreen.htm
http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~zoology/eeob405/
http://www.tulane.edu/~wiser/protozoology/pwpt/
http://www.iep.water.ca.gov/suisun/photos/wildlife.html
http://www.uta.edu/biology/marshall/2343/
http://www.uta.edu/biology/faculty/faculty.html
http://www.okc.cc.ok.us/biologylabs/Documents/Zoology/PowerPoint.htm
http://bio.fsu.edu/
http://www.aw-bc.com/
http://www.nhm.org/
http://www.geo.cornell.edu/eas/education/course/descr/EAS302/presentations/

It is very easy to find mistakes in these presentations…..I request you to kindly

rectify them and supply me the modifications needed at parvishpandya@yahoo.com
Thanks a lot and have fun in teaching & learning Zoology….
Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
Insect metamorphosis

“change in form”

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
 Entomological Terms
Stadium: period of time between successive
molts
Instar: the insect itself between two
successive molts
Stage: principal divisions in life cycle
(egg, larva, nymph, pupa, adult)
Example: The first instar (first larval stage) lives
in wood.

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

 Simple Metamorphosis
1. Ametabolous (“no”)
wingless as adults; silverfish,
collembola
2. Hemimetabolous (“incomplete”)
aquatic nymphs that do not resemble
adults; mayflies, dragonflies, etc.
3. Paurometabolous (“gradual”)
nymphs and adults live in same
habitat; proportions differ; bugs
Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
 Metamorphosis

Type Appearance Young called

Ametabolous larvae look like instars

adults, just smaller

Paurometabolous Specific number of Nymphs (land)

molts Naiads (water)
Holometabolous Young very Larvae
different from
adults
Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
 Incomplete Complete
Ametabolous Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
“Simple”

“Complete”

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
Metamorphosis
• ancestral condition – ametamorhic
• continue molting after sexual maturation
• indeterminate no. molts

Thysanura

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

Hemimetabolous Development
• “incomplete” metamorphosis
• final molt - wings and genitalia
• some with non-feeding reproductive stages

Incomplete
metamorphosis
In mayfly

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

Review Metamorphosis

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
 Complete Metamorphosis

(Holometabolous)
Wings develop internally.
egg, larvae, pupa, adult
beetles, butterflies, fleas, flies,
bees, etc.

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
 B is for Butterfly

Though the butterfly hasn’t a notion

Of how to accomplish eclosion
It always takes place
With exquisite grace,
Gymnastics, and later, slow motion

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

Holometabolous Development
• resting stage between larval instars and adult
• the ultimate innovation why so successful?
• hypothesis: multiple niche exploitation
• relative stage-specific selection
• non-feeding reproductive stages

pupa

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Pupation
• larval tissues are partly - entirely destroyed
• replaced by growth of imaginal disks

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 Corpus alatum

Prothoracic
gland

a-Ecdysone

Juvenile
hormone

Tobacco
hornworm

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

 See Elzinga, p. 133

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

 Commercial silkworm, Bombyx mori

Corpora
Corpora allata allata
removed removed
(less JH) (less JH)
Corpora allata
6
implant (more
JH)

Dwarf pupa Very small

and adult pupa and Giants
adult

Normal Development Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

 Hypermetamorphosis

• Occurs in parasitic insects where first

instar seeks out the host, and once in
the host, molts into a less active larva.
• Examples: Coleoptera: Meloidae
Coleoptera: Rhipiphoridae
Strepsiptera (twisted-wing parasites)
A few Diptera and Hymenoptera

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

 Intermediate Types of
Metamorphosis
A. Thrips: larva, prepupa, pupa, adult

B. Whiteflies: 1 instar (active and

wingless), 2-3 instars (sessile and
scale-like), 4 instar, adult

C. Male scale insects: 1 instar (crawler),

subsequent instars, pupa, adult
(winged)
Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
Hypothesis: larval stage (holometaboly) resulted from
altered hormonal control of embryogenesis
Trumen and Riddleford ’99. Nature 401: 447-452
• Ecdysteroids and Juvenile Hormones
• obs. JH absent during embryo formation in
ametabolous and hemimetabolous insects
• -> developing embryo resembles adult
• holometabolous insects: early appearance of JH
suppresses some adult-directed growth

Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation

 323 mya 208 Strepsiptera
290 Orthoptera
146 Neuroptera
245
65 Dermaptera Raphidioptera
oldest fossil Megaloptera
1.64
Thysanura Phasmida Coleoptera
Apterygota
Blattodea Mecoptera
ametabolous
Odonata Mantodea Siphonaptera
Ephemeroptera Isoptera Diptera
Plecoptera
Paleoptera Trichoptera

Psocoptera Lepidoptera
Pthiraptera
Hemiptera
Thysanoptera
Neoptera Hymenoptera

holometabolous
hemimetabolous
Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation
Dr. PARVISH PANDYA’s presentation