Definition:
In insects, a complete change in form as the insect progresses from one developmental stage to another.
Some insects undergo incomplete metamorphosis with just three stages - egg, nymph, and adult. These insects include:
- mayflies
- dragonflies and damselflies
- stoneflies
- crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts
- stick and leaf insects
- earwigs
- roaches and mantids
- termites
- bark and book lice
- biting lice
- sucking lice
- true bugs
- thrips
Most insects undergo complete metamorphosis with four stages - egg, larva, pupa, and adult. These insects include:
- lacewings
- scorpionflies
- fleas
- beetles
- true flies
- butterflies and moths
- caddisflies
- ants, bees, and wasps
See also: Types of Insect Metamorphosis and Time Lapse Photos: Monarch Butterfly Emerging from Its Chrysalis
