English Vocabulary for Entomologists: Insect Science Language Guide

Most international entomology journals require a B2-C1 level of English for successful submission. However, many journals accept manuscripts with less polished English if the science is sound, because editors and reviewers can request revisions for language. Some journals — particularly Zootaxa and some Elsevier titles — explicitly offer language editing services for non-native speakers. It is more important that your key scientific terms are used correctly than that your prose is flawlessly idiomatic. Consider asking a native-speaking colleague to review the abstract and introduction before submission, as these are the sections editors read first.

The genus and species names should be italicised: Apis mellifera. The genus name is capitalised; the species epithet is lowercase. On first mention, write the full name. On subsequent mentions within the same section, abbreviate the genus: A. mellifera. When the genus is mentioned without a species (for example when discussing the genus as a whole), it is still italicised: "The genus Apis contains..." Order and family names are not italicised but are capitalised: Hymenoptera, Apidae. The author and year of description are sometimes included in taxonomy papers: Apis mellifera Linnaeus, 1758.

A larva is the juvenile stage of a holometabolous insect — one that undergoes complete metamorphosis (egg, larva, pupa, adult). Larvae look entirely different from the adult (caterpillars, grubs, maggots). A nymph is the juvenile stage of a hemimetabolous insect — one that undergoes incomplete metamorphosis (egg, nymph, adult). Nymphs typically resemble small wingless versions of the adult. Using these terms correctly is important in scientific writing: writing "larva" for a grasshopper nymph would be considered an error in entomological literature.

An instar is a developmental stage between two successive moults (ecdyses) in an insect's juvenile life. The newly hatched larva is the first instar (sometimes written as "1st instar" or "L1"). After its first moult, it becomes the second instar, and so on. In English scientific writing, you might read: "Third-instar larvae were used in feeding trials" or "The study examined growth rates across five larval instars." The number of instars varies by species and can also be influenced by environmental conditions — an important factor in pest management research.

Colour descriptions in English taxonomy papers use a combination of basic colour terms and modifiers: testaceous (brick-red), piceous (pitch-black), ferruginous (rust-coloured), luteous (orange-yellow), fuscous (dark brownish), viridescent (greenish), and aeneous (brassy). These Latin-derived terms are preferred over generic English words like "reddish" because they have precise, consistent meanings understood internationally. The Smithsonian and Munsell colour systems are used for standardised colour recording in some groups. Always note whether colour descriptions are based on fresh or dried specimens, as colours often change on drying.

Diapause is a state of developmental arrest in insects, genetically programmed and triggered by environmental cues — typically changes in photoperiod (day length) — rather than by temperature alone. It is an anticipatory response, beginning before conditions become adverse. Hibernation is a broader term used for vertebrate winter dormancy. In English entomology, "diapause" is the correct term for insects; using "hibernation" for insect winter dormancy is technically imprecise. A related term is "quiescence" — a simpler, non-programmed dormancy that is a direct response to adverse conditions and reversible when conditions improve.

A holotype is the single physical specimen designated as the name-bearing type of a newly described species — the individual that serves as the permanent reference specimen for that species name. It must be deposited in a publicly accessible collection. Related terms: paratype (additional specimens cited in the original description), allotype (a paratype of the opposite sex to the holotype), syntype (one of several specimens used when no holotype was designated), and lectotype (a specimen subsequently designated as the type from a syntype series). These terms are used in the type material section of taxonomy papers and follow ICZN rules.

English conventions for describing insect behaviour avoid anthropomorphism (attributing human motivations). Instead of "the beetle chose the larger patch" write "beetles were more frequently observed in larger patches." Active verbs describing observable behaviours are acceptable: "Males patrolled territory boundaries", "Females oviposited on the abaxial surface of leaves", "Workers recruited nestmates to food sources." Use past tense for what was observed in your specific study: "Larvae fed on Quercus leaves." Use present tense for general statements about a species' biology: "Adults are nocturnal and aestivate during dry periods."

The ten largest insect orders and their English usage: Coleoptera (beetles), Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies), Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps), Diptera (flies), Hemiptera (true bugs), Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets), Neuroptera (lacewings), Odonata (dragonflies, damselflies), Trichoptera (caddisflies), Blattodea (cockroaches and termites). In scientific writing, use the Latin order name (capitalised, not italicised). In popular writing or when addressing a general audience, the common English name is appropriate. An individual member of an order may be called "a coleopteran" (adjective or noun), "a dipteran", or "a hymenopteran."

Insects fill a wide range of ecological roles, each with specific English vocabulary: pollinator (transfers pollen between flowers), decomposer or detritivore (breaks down dead organic matter), predator (kills and consumes other organisms), parasitoid (develops inside or on a host, eventually killing it — distinct from a parasite, which typically does not kill the host), herbivore or phytophage (feeds on plants), scavenger (feeds on dead organisms), and vector (transmits pathogens to other organisms). These terms are used in both scientific writing and applied contexts such as pest management and conservation biology.