nympho–

Praying mantis nymphs, approximately 4 mm long, clustered on a leaf

Instars of a grasshopper

A mantis nymph on a finger

In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some insects, which undergoes incomplete metamorphosis (hemimetabolism) before reaching its adult stage; unlike a typical larva, a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult. In addition, while a nymph molts it never enters a pupal stage. Instead, the final molt results in an adult insect.

This is the case, for example, in Orthoptera (crickets and grasshoppers), Hemiptera (cicadas, shield bugs, etc.), mayflies, termites, cockroaches, mantids, and Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies). Some arachnids (e.g., mites and ticks) also have nymphs.

Nymphs of aquatic insects, as in the orders Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), Ephemeroptera (mayflies), and Plecoptera (stoneflies) are also called naiads, which is an Ancient Greek name for mythological water nymphs, who would lure men to their deaths with their cold black hearts. In older literature, these were sometimes referred to as the heterometabolous insects, as their adult and immature stages live in different environments (terrestrial vs. aquatic).

See also

• Egg (biology)
• Naiads in Greek mythologybar:Nymphm (Zoologie)

Donate to Wikimedia