Insects have a lot of life stages, hopefully we can encapsulate them all here. I doubt I have all of them, so please comment if you want me to add more. Larvae = caterpillars, grubs, maggots, eta. Pupae = chrysalides, etc. Teneral = recently molted adult.
Observation | Insect life stage |
---|---|
Photos / SoundsWhatPyralid and Crambid Snout Moths (Superfamily Pyraloidea)Observerkowhaitreehugger |
adult |
adult | |
Photos / SoundsWhatCecropia Moth (Hyalophora cecropia)ObserverchrisdelacampagneDescriptionWorm picture from Aug 2023 |
unknown |
unknown | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
larva | |
Photos / SoundsWhatGreen Garden Looper (Chrysodeixis eriosoma)Observermark1187DescriptionSeen on deck in backyard in the late afternoon. |
unknown |
adult | |
adult | |
Photos / SoundsWhatOrange Sulphur (Colias eurytheme)Observerderrell_dDescriptionI-35 Rest Stop...Hillsboro, Tx |
adult |
Photos / SoundsWhatAmerican Lady (Vanessa virginiensis)Observerderrell_dDescriptionI-35 Rest Stop...Hillsboro, Tx |
adult |
Photos / SoundsWhatGrey Hairstreak (Strymon melinus)Observerderrell_dDescriptionI-35 Rest Stop...Hillsboro, Tx |
adult |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult | |
adult |
Would it make sense to incorporate allowed stages "nymph" and "larva" into the all-encompassing "instar"?
Or to add "instar" as an allowed stage - perhaps with "early instar" and "late instar" for insects that may look quite different as they proceed through instars, whether nymph or larva.
Also, would ovipositing fit in life stages? Would fit in nicely with the Project Butterfly and Moth Host Plants and there's no existing field for ovipositing.
Thanks,
Monica
Most instars are stages within nymphal (for hemimetabolous) or larval (for holometabolous) insects, which seems a bit too granular to me for this general field, so if you're interested in tracking instars, I'd suggest making a separate field, like "instar." Also, when searching for "larva" using this field, I'd expect to see all insects in a particular instar, but if we added instars here, they wouldn't show up in that result. Open to argument if others would like that here, though.
Oviposition is a behavior by sexually mature adults, not a developmental stage, so no, that wouldn't fit here. Maybe use http://www.inaturalist.org/observation_fields/707, which has an "egg laying" type, or a more free form field like http://www.inaturalist.org/observation_fields/2, or make your own field.
"exuvia" is the odd one out here, it is not a life stage. It is evidence that a, possibly still living, animal, was once here. It would be better as part of the field "Evidence type", or use the value "Shell/Exoskeleton" as part of field "Animal Sign and Song"
I occasionally find observations with more than one life stage present in one observation (an adult with eggs or larvae, for example, or a notebook entry saying adults and larvae were present at a site). I prefer to copy observations to make one life stage per observation, but for when that's not possible/easy, I've just made a set of stand-alone fields. Several of these can be used on one observation when necessary.
insect life stage: egg(s)
insect life stage: nymph(s)
insect life stage: larvae
insect life stage: pupae
insect life stage: adult(s)
You can construct a URL like
https://inaturalist.nz/observations?field:Insect%20life%20stage:%20adult=yes
(all one line with no spaces) where the %20 bits represent spaces which aren't allowed in URLs.
Might be good to add 'egg' to this