Complete metamorphosis transforms caterpillars into butterflies, reshaping not only the bodies of the insects but their behaviors and identities. New work reveals in detail for the first time how ...

Tens of millions of years after the development of wings, complete metamorphosis emerged. “It happened, and then the insects exploded in terms of diversification, numbers,” Truman said.

Larvae eat as if there’s no tomorrow because, in a way, there isn’t. Metamorphosis changes almost everything. In insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis, the larvae are called nymphs.

Like other flying insects that undergo complete metamorphosis, caterpillars go through five regular moults during their mindless hungry lives, upsizing their outer skin each time.

Erica McAlister on the hoverfly that arguably undergoes the biggest transformation of any animal, and how insect metamorphosis could be a tool to track future climate change. Show more From ...

The book discusses insect metamorphosis as a key innovation in insect evolution. With most of the present biodiversity on Earth composed of metamorphosing insects--approximately 1 million species ...

Researchers have studied gene expression dynamics during metamorphosis in two species of flies. Published in the Genome Biology and Evolution, the study aims to identify patterns of changes in ...

In insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis, the larvae are called nymphs. Many, such as grasshoppers, look and behave much like tiny versions of the adult insects.