The Butterflies of Iowa

Glossary

glossary The following words represent a very select assortment judged to be most helpful in building a vocabulary of technical knowledge about butterflies. Most of the words are not restricted to the discipline. Just as the species name is an index to published information, a word may also be a clue to additional data. adaptation. Genetic feature which imparts to individuals greater reproductive success under specific environmental conditions. Adaptations occur in a population or species as a result of natural selection. albinism. Hereditary trait characterized by the inability to form pigments. androconium (pl. androconia). Modified scale which produces a sexual attractant in certain male butterflies. antenna (pl. antennae). Paired, segmented, movable sensory appendage on the head of larvae and adults. apical. Toward or on the tip of a wing. basking. Behavior where the wings are positioned to obtain heat from a light source or by conduction through the substrate. blending zone. Area where individuals show an intermix of characters diagnostic of two or more populations elsewhere; morphological intergrade zone between two distinctive populations. caterpillar. The larval stage of a butterfly or moth. caudal. Toward the tail end of an animal. chrysalis (pl. chrysalides). Another name for the pupal stage of butterflies. cline. Gradual and more or less continuous change in a character in a series of continuous populations from the individuals at the two extremes, who differ markedly. competition. Struggle between organisms for a limiting environmental resource, such as larval or adult food, space, mates, or other necessities. copula. Linking of male and female during which sperm is introduced into the female; sometimes called pairing. costa (pl. costae). Vein in the anterior marginal area of the wing; the front margins of the wings are also called costal margins. cremaster. Arrangement of hooks at the back end of the pupal body by means of which it is attached to its support; hooklets on the cremaster entangle in a pad of silk spun for that purpose by the mature larva. cryptic coloration. Camouflage patterns which conceal the butterfly by making it resemble the background on which it rests. diapause. Process or action of being arrested in growth. 216 | g l o s s a r y dicotyledonous. Type of flowering plant whose sprout has a pair of leaves with branched veins (such as a bean). dimorphism. Existence in two distinct forms; for example, sexual dimorphism, when male and female are obviously different (in color, size, wing shape, etc.). distal. Positioned farther from the body. dorsal. Pertaining to the top, back, or upper side. endemic. Occurring only in a peculiar locality. exoskeleton. Skeleton or shell supporting the body on the outside. extinction. Loss of an evolutionary lineage or species from the planet. extirpation. Loss of a species from a defined area of its range. eyespot. Wing pattern consisting of concentric circles of different colors, giving the appearance of eyes (believed to deflect the attention of predators to nonvital areas). family. Taxonomic grouping that contains genera. fauna. Animal life of any given region or habitat; butterflies are part of the local fauna. fen. Peatland whose water comes out of the ground (as opposed to bogs, whose water comes from precipitation). flora. The plants of a given area. gene flow. Movement of genetic characteristics in a population. gene pool. All the genes in a given population of a species. genitalia. External organs of reproduction. genus (pl. genera). Taxonomic category that includes (usually) several closely related species; “related” genera are placed in a single family. habitat. The natural home or environment of an organism. hibernaculum. Winter shelter of leaves, silk, and/or other detritus constructed to protect larvae or pupae. hibernation. Period of prolonged inactivity or dormancy (diapause) accompanied by lowered metabolic activity and functioning to withstand winter cold. honeydew glands. Glands on the abdomens of Lycaenid larvae that produce a sugary solution called honeydew. host plant. Food source of the larvae or adult. hyaline spot. Shiny or glassy and transparent spot. hybrid. Organism produced by genetically dissimilar parents; the result of a cross between unlike individuals, sometimes showing characters of both. instar. Individual during a period between apolyses (molting processes); initially each instar is concealed by an egg shell, an old larval skin, or a pupal case. larva (pl. larvae). Caterpillar, the immature stage of butterflies between the egg and pupal stage. limbal. On the outer quarter of the hind wing (the opposite of basal). maculation. The arrangement, degree, and pattern of the spots or pupils (macules) on the wing. melanism. Condition of having increased...