Practice question

Complete metamorphosis or holometaboly characterizes Endopterygota superorder including Diptera flies, Lepidoptera butterflies moths, Coleoptera beetles, Hymenoptera bees wasps and Neuroptera lacewings. Life cycle comprises egg, actively feeding but morphologically distinct larva such as caterpillar or maggot, non-feeding pupa where larval tissues undergo histolysis and imaginal discs differentiate into adult organs, and reproductive adult imago. Larval and adult niches often diverge reducing intraspecific competition. Hemimetabolous insects show incomplete nymphal development, Apterygota ametaboly lacks wing metamorphosis, myriapods grow anamorphically. Holometaboly drives massive diversification of insects via ecological partitioning.