endopterygote

views updated

endopterygote Any winged insect having holometabolous development, i.e. the eggs hatch into larvae that are dissimilar to the adults and lack wings. These develop internally before the final moult into a pupa, from which the adult emerges; metamorphosis is described as complete. Endopterygote insects include the beetles (Coleoptera), ants, bees, and wasps (Hymenoptera), flies (Diptera), and butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera). Compare exopterygote.