Insects & Other Invertebrates, LEA-OCT
Yet, in addition to being critically important—because they naturally recycle decaying matter—in maintaining balance within the food chain, bugs can also be fascinating creatures, whether in regard to the water strider's ability to run across the surface of water or the assassin bugs' varied and creative means of catching and killing their prey. Mollusks, another group of invertebrates, get less of a bad rap. Their ranks include nearly 100,000 described species of soft-bodied animals that are usually wholly or partly enclosed in a calcium carbonate shell; examples include snails, clams, oysters, squids, and octopuses.
Insects & Other Invertebrates Encyclopedia Articles By Title
leaf-rolling cricket, (subfamily Gryllacridinae), any of a group of raspy crickets characterized by its nest formed......
leaf-rolling weevil, (family Attelabidae), any member of a subgroup of the weevil family, Curculionidae (insect......
leafcutter ant, any of nearly 50 species of ants abundant in the American tropics, easily recognized by their foraging......
leafhopper, (family Cicadellidae), large family of more than 20,000 species of small, slender, often beautifully......
leech, (subclass Hirudinea), any of about 650 species of segmented worms (phylum Annelida) characterized by a small......
leopard moth, (Zeuzera pyrina), widely distributed moth known particularly for its destructive larva that damage......
Lepidoptera, (order Lepidoptera), insect order comprising about 180,000 species of butterflies, moths, and skippers.......
Leptaena, genus of extinct brachiopods (lamp shells) commonly found as fossils in Ordovician to Lower Carboniferous......
Leptodesma, extinct genus of pelecypods (clams) found as fossils in Silurian to Lower Carboniferous rocks (between......
Leptodus, extinct genus of articulate brachiopods, or lamp shells, of the Permian Period (299 million to 251 million......
Leucosolenia, genus of tubular branched sponges of the class Calcispongiae (phylum Porifera). Found in tide pools......
limpet, any of various snails (class Gastropoda, phylum Mollusca) having a flattened shell. Most marine species......
lingulid, any member of a group of brachiopods, or lamp shells, that includes very ancient extinct forms as well......
Linoproductus, genus of extinct articulate brachiopods (lamp shells) found throughout the midcontinent region of......
lion’s mane jellyfish, (Cyanea capillata), marine jellyfish of the class Scyphozoa (phylum Cnidaria) found in the......
Liriope, genus of small marine jellyfish of the class Hydrozoa (phylum Cnidaria). Its medusoid body is characteristically......
Spiders (order Araneae) are a group of arachnids that includes more than 50,000 species known to science. All spiders......
Lituites, genus of extinct cephalopods (primitive animals related to the modern pearly nautilus) found as fossils......
liver fluke, any of certain parasitic flatworms that invade the liver of the host animal. See...
lizard beetle, (family Languriidae), any of some 400 species of long, narrow beetles (insect order Coleoptera),......
lobed comb jelly, any of several gelatinous, transparent marine invertebrates of the order Lobata (phylum Ctenophora).......
lobopod, collective name for two phyla of animals: Onychophora and Tardigrada. Phyla Onychophora and Tardigrada......
lobster, any of numerous marine crustaceans (phylum Arthropoda, order Decapoda) constituting the families Homaridae......
locust, (family Acrididae), any of a group of insects (order Orthoptera) that are distributed worldwide, the common......
lone star tick, (Amblyomma americanum), species of North American hard tick capable of transmitting a number of......
long-horned beetle, (family Cerambycidae), any of about 25,000 species of beetles (insect order Coleoptera) whose......
lophophorate, any of three phyla of aquatic invertebrate animals that possess a lophophore, a fan of ciliated tentacles......
Lophophyllum, extinct genus of solitary marine corals found as fossils especially characteristic of the Late Carboniferous......
Lophospira, genus of extinct gastropods (snails) found as fossils in marine rocks of Ordovician to Devonian age......
louse, (order Phthiraptera), any of a group of small wingless parasitic insects divisible into two main groups:......
Loxonema, genus of extinct gastropods (snails) found as fossils in rocks of Ordovician to Early Carboniferous age......
lugworm, (genus Arenicola), any of several marine worms (class Polychaeta, phylum Annelida) that burrow deep into......
luna moth, (Actias luna), species of large, showy saturniid moth of eastern North America. Luna moths are pale......
lungworm, any of the parasitic worms of the superfamily Metastrongyloidea (phylum Nematoda) that infest the lungs......
lygaeid bug, (family Lygaeidae), any of a group of insects in the true bug order, Heteroptera, that includes many......
lynnhaven, edible variety of oyster...
lynx spider, (family Oxyopidae), any of nearly 450 species of active spiders that do not build a nest or web but......
Maclurites, extinct genus of Ordovician gastropods (snails) found as fossils and useful for stratigraphic correlations......
macroinvertebrate, any animal lacking a backbone and large enough to see without the aid of a microscope. Macroinvertebrates......
Madagascar hissing cockroach, (Gromphadorhina portentosa), large species of cockroach known for its ability to......
malacostracan, any member of the more than 29,000 species of the class Malacostraca (subphylum Crustacea, phylum......
mantis, (order Mantodea), any of approximately 2,000 species of large, typically slow-moving insects that are characterized......
mantis shrimp, any member of the marine crustacean order Stomatopoda, especially members of the genus Squilla.......
mantispid, (family Mantispidae), any of a group of insects in the order Neuroptera, the adults of which bear a......
marennes, popular edible variety of oyster...
marsh treader, any insect of the family Hydrometridae (order Heteroptera), so named because of its slow, deliberate......
masked hunter, (Reduvius personatus), species of nocturnal assassin bug widely known for its ability to camouflage......
mason bee, (genus Osmia), genus of more than 350 species of solitary bees mostly native to the Northern Hemisphere......
mayfly, (order Ephemeroptera), any member of a group of insects known for their extremely short adult life spans......
meadow katydid, (genus Orchelimum), any of a group of about 20 species of slender, small to medium-sized katydids......
mealybug, (family Pseudococcidae), any of a group of small sap-sucking insects (order Homoptera) that are worldwide......
measuring worm, (family Geometridae), the larva of any of a large group of moths in the order Lepidoptera. Because......
medicinal leech, any of certain leech species (phylum Annelida), particularly Hirudo medicinalis, H. verbana, and......
medusa, in zoology, one of two principal body types occurring in members of the invertebrate animal phylum Cnidaria.......
mesozoan, any of approximately 50 species of small, ciliated, multicellular animals that parasitize other marine......
metallic wood-boring beetle, (family Buprestidae), any of some 15,000 species of beetles (insect order Coleoptera),......
metalmark, (subfamily Riodininae), any of a group of small, principally South American insects in the gossamer-winged......
Mexican jumping bean, the seed of certain Mexican shrubs, especially those of the genus Sebastiania, of the spurge......
midget moth, any member of the approximately 300 species in the cosmopolitan family Nepticulidae (sometimes called......
milkweed butterfly, (subfamily Danainae), any of a group of butterflies in the brush-footed butterfly (q.v.) family,......
millepore, (Millepora), any of a genus of invertebrate marine animals comprising the order Milleporina (phylum......
millipede, (class Diplopoda), any member of the arthropod class Diplopoda, distributed worldwide and commonly grouped......
mining bee, (family Andrenidae), any of a group of bees (order Hymenoptera), particularly the genus Andrena. Many......
mite, any of numerous species of tiny arthropods, members of the mite and tick subclass Acari (class Arachnida),......
mitre shell, any of several marine snails constituting the family Mitridae (subclass Prosobranchia of the class......
Modiolopsis, extinct genus of pelecypods (clams) found as fossils in Ordovician rocks (about 488 million to 444......
mole crab, (Emerita, or Hippa, talpoida), crab of the Atlantic beaches from New England to Mexico. It is so named......
mole cricket, (family Gryllotalpidae), any of about 65 species of orthopteran insects so named for their molelike......
mollusk, any soft-bodied invertebrate of the phylum Mollusca, usually wholly or partly enclosed in a calcium carbonate......
monarch butterfly, (Danaus plexippus), familiar member of the milkweed butterfly group (subfamily Danainae, order......
Monograptus, extinct genus of graptolites (small aquatic colonial animals related to primitive chordates) found......
monoplacophoran, (class Tryblidia), any of a group of primitive marine mollusks characterized by a single, cap-shaped......
Monopleura, genus of extinct and unusual bivalves (clams) found as fossils dated to the Cretaceous Period (145.5......
moon jelly, (genus Aurelia), genus of marine jellyfish of the order Semaeostomeae (class Scyphozoa, phylum Cnidaria)......
morpho, (genus Morpho), any of numerous very large tropical American butterfly species with dazzling iridescent......
moss animal, any member of the phylum Bryozoa (also called Polyzoa or Ectoprocta), in which there are about 5,000......
moth, (superfamily Noctuoidea), any of about 160,000 species of overwhelmingly nocturnal flying insects that, along......
Mucrospirifer, genus of extinct brachiopods (lamp shells) found as fossils in Middle and Upper Devonian marine......
murex, any of the marine snails constituting the family Muricidae (subclass Prosobranchia of the class Gastropoda).......
mussel, any of numerous bivalve mollusks belonging to the marine family Mytilidae and to the freshwater family......
mussel shrimp, any of a widely distributed group of crustaceans belonging to the subclass Ostracoda (class Crustacea)......
mustache shrimp, any member of the crustacean subclass Mystacocarida, a small group of primitive, free-living marine......
Myalina, extinct genus of clams found in rocks of Early Carboniferous to Late Permian age (dating from 359 million......
Myophoria, genus of extinct clams found as fossils in Triassic rocks. It is readily identified by its distinctive......
myriapod, any member of several closely related groups of the invertebrate phylum Arthropoda, including the extinct......
nautilus, either of two genera of cephalopod mollusks: the pearly, or chambered, nautilus (Nautilus), to which......
nematocyst, minute, elongated, or spherical capsule produced exclusively by members of the phylum Cnidaria (e.g.,......
nematode, any worm of the phylum Nematoda. Nematodes are among the most abundant animals on Earth. They occur as......
Neospirifer, genus of extinct brachiopods (lamp shells) found as fossils in Late Carboniferous to Permian marine......
nephridium, unit of the excretory system in many primitive invertebrates and also in the amphioxus; it expels wastes......
net-winged beetle, (family Lycidae), any of some 2,800 species of soft-bodied, brightly coloured, predominately......
neuropteran, (order Neuroptera), any of a group of insects commonly called lacewings because of the complex vein......
Get ready to leap into the dazzling world of jumping spiders! The jumping spider family, Salticidae, is the largest......
Nuculana, very long-lived genus of mollusks (clams) that first appeared during the Silurian Period (443.7 million......
Nuculopsis, extinct genus of clams found as fossils in rocks of the Pennsylvanian Subperiod (318 million to 299......
nudibranch, any of the marine gastropods that constitute the order Nudibranchia (subclass Opisthobranchia of the......
nursery-web spider, (family Pisauridae), any member of a family of spiders noted for the female spider’s habit......
Obelia, genus of invertebrate marine animals of the class Hydrozoa (phylum Cnidaria). The genus, widely distributed......
Obolus, genus of extinct brachiopod, or lamp shell, of the Cambrian Period (from 542 million to 488 million years......
octopus, in general, any eight-armed cephalopod (octopod) mollusk of the order Octopoda. The true octopuses are......