Which insects undergo metamorphosis

This process has many different stages depending on the creature but they all result in a remarkable physical change. According to the Utah Education Network, about 88 percent of insects undergo a complete metamorphic process, which consists of four stages. Two examples of insects that undergo this type of metamorphosis are beetles and butterflies.

The first of the stages of metamorphosis occurs when the female insect lays her eggs. The next stage happens when the larvae hatch from the eggs. Caterpillars are the larval form of butterflies and maggots and grubs are the larval form of flies and beetles. The larva grows bigger during this stage and molts its skin multiple times. The next stage is the pupa stage when the larva forms a cocoon around itself and remains in it anywhere from four days to a few months while it develops its body, organs, legs and wings.

After fully developing, the butterfly or beetle breaks out of the cocoon. About 12 percent of all insects undergo an incomplete metamorphic process, which consists of three stages. Two examples of insects that go through this type of metamorphosis include grasshoppers and dragonflies. Complete metamorphosis begins with the insect hatching from an egg into a soft worm-like shape called a larva.

Larvae have a very big appetite and can eat several times their own body weight every day. If humans did the same thing, babies would start out eating as much as 10 pounds of food each day.

For insects, this super-sized larva diet makes them grow very fast. Some larvae add more body segments as they grow. Scientists refer to these developmental changes as instars which are similar to how humans call their children babies, toddlers, or teenagers.

For example, instead of being called a baby, a very young larva would be called an instar 1 and a teenager would be called an instar 3. The number of instar stages can be different depending on the type of insect. At the end of the larval stage the insect will make a hard shell and inside it will become a pupa.

At this stage the larva will stop eating and moving. Once the adult leaves the pupa it slowly stretches out and relaxes under the sun for a couple of hours while its exoskeleton dries out and hardens.

Insects with complete metamorphosis include beetles, bees, ants, butterflies, moths, fleas, and mosquitoes. From a single egg case, over nymphs may hatch. Bodies contain three segments consisting of a triangle-shaped head, thorax and abdomen regions. After a series of nymph forms, an adult -- which may not resemble the nymphs -- then emerges. Mantids normally prey on other insects.

Without a proper food supply, hungry mantids will eat one another. The females often cannibalize the males during the mating process. The insects rely largely on camouflage to evade predators. The mantids use their long, broad front limbs to rapidly catch and hold prey and mates. Farmers welcome mantids because they consume bothersome agricultural pests. You can identify fragile-looking dragonflies and their damselfly cousins by their elongated, slim abdomens and two pairs of translucent wings.

Together, these insects, which belong to Order Odonata, comprise over 5, species found throughout the world. The territoriality of the males of certain species serves two purposes: to ensure food availability and to entice females.

Females lay their eggs in the water. The eggs hatch into naiads equipped with gills for aquatic survival. Naiads feed on tadpoles, worms and shelled creatures inhabiting the water.

Adults prey on other flying insects, including mosquitoes. Dragonflies and damselflies catch their food by extending lip-like structures called labia to wind around or pierce through prey and pull the captives toward awaiting mouths.

They continue molting and growing until they reach sexual maturity. Gradual metamorphosis is marked by three life stages: egg, nymph, and adult. Entomologists refer to insects that undergo gradual metamorphosis as "hemimetabolous," from "hemi," meaning "part," and may classify this type of transformation as incomplete metamorphosis.

Growth for hemimetabolous insects occurs during the nymph stage. Nymphs resemble the adults in most ways, particularly in appearance, exhibit similar behaviors, and typically share the same habitat and food as the adults. In winged insects, nymphs develop external wings as they molt and grow. Functional, fully-formed wings mark their emergence into the adult stage of the life cycle. Some hemimetabolous insects include grasshoppers, mantids, cockroaches, termites, dragonflies, and all true bugs.

Most insects undergo complete metamorphosis over the course of a lifetime. Each stage of the life cycle—egg, larva, pupa, and adult—is marked by a distinctly different appearance. Entomologists call insects that undergo complete metamorphosis "holometabolous," from "holo," meaning "total. Their habitats and food sources may be entirely different from the adults as well.

Larvae grow and molt, usually multiple times. Some insect orders have unique names for their larval forms: butterfly and moth larvae are caterpillars; fly larvae are maggots, and beetle larvae are grubs.