Macroclimate |
the climate of the major geographical regions |
Macroevolution |
Evolutionary change on a grand scale, encompassing the origin of novel designs, evolutionary trends, adaptive radiation, and mass extinction. |
Macroscopic |
something visible to the naked eye or visible through a hand lens |
Madreporite |
The sieve-like structure that is the intake for the water vascular system of echinoderms |
Maggot |
the grub-like larval stage of some insects, e.g. flies |
Maggot therapy |
Therapeutic myiasis. The treatment of wounds by introducing live fly maggots into the wound. |
Malacology |
the study of molluscs |
Malacostraca |
a class in the Crustacea containing the crabs, shrimps, lobsters and woodlice |
Mallophaga |
the chewing/biting lice |
Malpighian/Malphigian tubes |
Excretory organs of insects that empty into the digestive tract, remove nitrogenous wastes from the blood, and function in osmoregulation. |
Mandibles |
the first or uppermost part of the jaw, often used when describing insects |
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Mandibulates |
Animals with jaw-like appendages, e.g. many insects and crustaceans. |
Mantis shrimp |
Squilla mantis |
Mantle |
lateral skirt-like fold of the molluscan body wall, usually having a spacious cavity beneath it. |
Mantle cavity |
In molluscs, a cavity between the mantle and the rest of the body. The cavity is filled with water in aquatic molluscs, and often contains the gills. |
Mantoidea |
The sub-order containing the mantises, praying mantis, etc. |
Mask |
The specialised mouthparts of dragonfly and damselfly nymphs. The mask is a modified lower lip with moveable and jointed "jaws". The whole thing can be shot out at great speed to capture prey. |
Mason wasp |
Eumenidae, also known as potter wasps |
Maxillae/maxilla |
the second or lower part of the jaw, often used in describing insects. |
Maxillary palp |
in insects, a leg-like structure arising from the maxilla |
Mayfly |
Ephemeroptera |
Mechanoreceptors |
Sensory receptors that detect physical deformities in the body associated with pressure, touch, stretch, motion and sound. |
Meconium |
the first excreta of a newly emerged adult following the pupal stage |
Mecoptera |
scorpion flies |
Mediterranean climate |
a climate of hot, dry summers and wet, mild winters |
Medusa |
the free-living, sexual, jelly-fish-like stage of certain cnidarians |
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Megafauna |
animals large enough to be seen with the naked eye |
Melanic |
darkened |
Melanin |
a black, brownish or dark red animal pigment containing nitrogen |
Melanism |
the opposite of albinism. An undue development of colouring making the animal appear darker then normal. This is quite common in certain bumblebees. |
Merostomata |
Horseshoe crabs, a class in the phylum Chelicerata |
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Mesoglea |
The jelly-like substance between the two layers of the body wall in Cnidaria and Porifera. |
Mesozoa |
A phylum of marine endoparasites |
Mesothorax |
the middle segment of an insect's thorax which bears the middle pair of legs and the front wings. |
Metabolism |
the totality of an organism's chemical processes, consisting of catabolic and anabolic pathways. |
Metameric |
a body largely comprising of a series of segments, as in the annelids |
Metamerism |
The division of a body, from front to rear, in a series of segments, each segment containing representative of all the organ systems of the body, as seen in the Annelida. |
Metamorphosis |
an abrupt change in body form from one larval stage to another, or from larva to adult, as seen in some insects. |
Metanephridium |
A type of excretory tube in Annelida that has internal openings called nephrostomes which collect body fluids, and external openings called nephridophores. |
Metathorax |
the second segment of an insect's thorax which bears the third pair of legs and the hind wings |
Microclimate |
The highly localised climate of a strictly limited habitat, e.g. inside a flower. |
Microevolution |
a change in the gene pool of a population over a succession of generations |
Microhabitat |
a small, specialised habitat |
Midge |
a small fly in the Chironomidae family |
Migration |
A journey to a different region, following a well-defined route. Most animals that migrate do so according to seasonal changes to benefit from good breeding, feeding or overwintering conditions. |
Millipede |
an invertebrate in the Class Diplopoda |
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Mimicry |
A form of camouflage in which an animal resembles another animal or inanimate object. It is common in insects, e.g. some harmless flies mimic stinging bees or wasps, and stick insects resemble twigs. |
Mitochondria |
Organelles found in eukaryotic cells. The contain the enzymes responsible for aerobic respiration. |
Mode of action |
The mechanism by which an insecticide affects an insect. |
Mollusca |
the phylum containing the slugs, snails, octopus, and other shell-fish |
Monerans/Bacteria |
Are the simplest fully-independent living things. They are prokaryotes, i.e. they lack the specialised structures found in eukaryotes. Energy is obtained from sunlight, organic and inorganic sources. |
Monogenea |
A Class of Platyhelminthes commonly known as flukes |
Monogonata |
A class of rotifers |
Monogyny |
a colony of eusocial insects dominated by one queen, as in bumblebees |
Monolectic |
taking pollen and/or nectar from a single species of flower |
Monophyletic |
evolutionarily derived from a single ancestor, recognized by the joint possession of a shared, derived feature |
Monoplacaphora |
A Class of Molluscs with a single conical shell |
Morphospecies |
species defined by their anatomical features |
Morphs |
two or more distinct forms of individuals in a population |
Morphology |
The study of the form and structure of organisms |
Mortality |
death |
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Mosquito |
a fly in the Culcidae family |
Moss animal |
Bryozoa |
Moth |
An insect in the Order Lepidoptera |
Motile |
something that has the capacity for movement |
Moult |
shedding of exoskeleton in order to increase size, as seen in most insects, chelicerata and Crustacea |
Mucilaginous |
producing mucilage (a viscous, sticky substance) |
Mullerian mimicry |
mutual mimicry by two or more unpalatable species, e. g. the viceroy and monarch butterfly |
Multipoint
stability |
the tendency of a population
to regain stability at a different level. |
Multivoltine |
having several broods or generations per year, e.g. as in the cabbage white butterfly |
Muscidae |
the family of true flies which contains the house fly and the stable fly |
Muscle cells |
Contract and relax to move the different parts of the animal's body. |
Mussel shrimp |
also known as seed shrimp, a Crustacean in the Ostrocoda Class. |
Mutagen |
an agent that produces or enhances the rate of mutation |
Mutant |
any organism, gene, or character that has undergone a mutational change |
Mutation |
a rare change in the DNA of genes that ultimately creates genetic diversity |
Mutualism |
Symbiosis that benefits the members of both of the participating species. |
Mycetophilidae |
fungus gnats |
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Myiasis |
a disease or injury caused by the feeding of larval flies on live flesh |
Myrmecochorus |
dispersed by ants, e.g. seed dispersal |
Myrmecology |
The study of ants. |
Myrmecophily |
the pollination of plants by ants |
Myrmeleontidae |
ant lions |
Mystacocarida |
a Class of Crustacea |