Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
| aestivate | to pass the summer in a state of torpor. |
| aestivation | the act of spending the summer in a state of torpor. |
| aestivator | an animal that aestivates. |
| ametabolic | of insects, showing little or no metamorphosis. |
| ametabolism | the lack of metamorphosis in insects. |
| ametabolous | of insects, showing little or no metamorphosis. |
| amphibiotic | having an aquatic larval form and a terrestrial adult form, as amphibians. |
| anecdysis | a period between moults in arthropods. |
| apatetic | of an animal's coloration or marking which closely resembles that of another species or of its surroundings. |
| aposematic | giving warning, applied to coloration, odour, etc., of animals. |
| aposematically | (Adv.) APOSEMATIC, giving warning, applied to coloration, odour, etc. |
| autotomic | relating to autotomy, the reflex loss of part of the body to save the whole. |
| autotomise | to effect an autotomy, the reflex loss of part of the body to save the whole (in lizards, etc.). |
| autotomize | to effect an autotomy, the reflex loss of part of the body to save the whole (in lizards, etc.). |
| autotomous | relating to autotomy. |
| autotomy | the reflex loss of part of the body to save the whole (in lizards, etc). |
| biomimicry | the mimicry of one living organism by another. |
| bionomist | a student of bionomics, the study of organisms interacting in their environments. |
| biorhythm | a periodic change in the behaviour or physiology of many animals and plants (eg hibernation and migration) mediated by hormones which are in turn influenced by changes in day-length. |
| brachiator | an animal, such as a gibbon, that progresses by brachiation. |
| cainogenesis | the state where adaptations to the needs of the young stages develop early, and disappear in the adult stage. |
| cainogenetic | relating to cainogenesis, the state where adaptations to the needs of the young stages develop early, and disappear in the adult stage. |
| caloricity | a faculty in animals of developing and preserving the heat necessary to life. |
| camoufleur | (Fr.) a person or animal skilled in the art of camouflage. |
| catadromous | of fishes, descending periodically for spawning to the lower parts of a river or to the sea. |
| cryptobiont | any organism that exhibits cryptobiosis. |
| cryptobiosis | a temporary state in an organism in which metabolic activity is absent or undetectable. |
| diadromous | migrating between fresh and salt water. |
| diapause | in insects and the embryos of some animals, a period of suspended animation and growth; (verb) to undergo or be in diapause. |
| digitigrade | an animal that walks on the toes alone. |
| dormancy | a period of suspended growth and metabolic activity. |
| dorsigrade | walking on the back of the toes. |
| dulosis | slavery practised by animals, esp ants. |
| dulotic | relating to dulosis, enslavement as practised by ants. |
| ecdysial | relating to ecdysis, the act of shedding, or casting off. |
| ecdysis | (Greek) the act of molting or shedding an outer cuticular layer (as in insects and crustaceans). |
| echolocation | determining the position of objects by means of supersonic vibrations echoed from them, as a bat does. |
| eclose | to emerge, esp an insect from its egg. |
| eclosion | emergence, as from a larva or egg. |
| ectogenesis | variation in response to outside conditions. |
| ectogenetic | produced by or characteristic of ectogenesis. |
| endysis | the formation of new layers of integument after ecdysis. |
| epimeletic | of a type of social behaviour in which the young are cared for by other individuals of the same species eg worker bees. |
| epimorphic | relating to epimorphosis, a type of development in animals, such as certain insect larvae, in which segmentation of the body is complete before hatching. |
| epimorphosis | a type of development in animals, such as certain insect larvae, in which segmentation of the body is complete before hatching. |
| episematic | of coloration, assisting recognition between members of the same species. |
| epizoic | living on the outside of an animal. |
| epizoism | the state of being epizoic, living on the outside of an animal. |
| epizoite | an epizoic organism. |
| estivation | the act of spending the summer in a state of torpor. |
| estivator | an animal that aestivates. |
| etepimeletic | of a type of social behaviour shown by young animals to elicit epimeletic behaviour. |
| ethogram | a description of an animal's behaviour. |
| exuviation | the act of exuviating. |
| feral | of a species which breeds in the wild but is derived from domesticated stock; (noun) a person who displays wild tendencies. |
| ferine | of a species which breeds in the wild but is derived from domesticated stock. |
| flehmen | of a mammal, to grimace with lips drawn back. |
| geotactic | relating to geotaxis, the response of an organism to gravity. |
| geotactical | relating to geotaxis, the response of an organism to gravity. |
| geotactically | (Adv.) GEOTACTICAL, relating to geotaxis. |
| geotaxis | (Greek) the response of an organism to gravity. |
| geotropic | showing geotropism, a disposition to turn or incline towards the earth. |
| geotropically | (Adv.) GEOTROPIC, showing geotropism, a disposition to turn or incline towards the earth. |
| geotropism | a disposition to turn or incline towards the earth; the influence of gravity in determining the direction of growth of an organ. |
| glabrescent | becoming naked or devoid of covering at maturity. |
| haematocryal | of all animals except birds and mammals, having a body temperature that varies with the temperature of the surroundings. |
| haematothermal | of birds and mammals, having a constant body temperature, usually higher than the temperature of the surroundings. |
| heliotactic | relating to heliotaxis, the response of an organism to the sun's rays. |
| heliotaxis | the response of an organism to the sun's rays. |
| hematocryal | of all animals except birds and mammals, having a body temperature that varies with the temperature of the surroundings. |
| hematothermal | of birds and mammals, having a constant body temperature, usually higher than the temperature of the surroundings. |
| homeotherm | an organism that maintains the same temperature. |
| homeothermic | keeping the same temperature, warm-blooded. |
| homeothermy | the state of being homeothermic. |
| homochromy | protective coloration. |
| homoiotherm | keeping the same temperature, warm-blooded; (noun) a warm-blooded animal. |
| homoiothermic | keeping the same temperature, warm-blooded. |
| homoiothermy | the maintenance of a constant body temperature. |
| homothermal | keeping the same temperature, warm-blooded. |
| homothermic | keeping the same temperature, warm-blooded. |
| homothermy | the maintenance of a constant body temperature. |
| inquilinism | living in another's nest. |
| katadromous | of fishes, descending periodically for spawning to the lower parts of a river or to the sea, opp to anadromous. |
| larva | (Lat.) an immature free-living form of many animals that develops into a different adult form by metamorphosis. |
| larval | of or like a larva. |
| larviform | having the form or structure of a larva. |
| larviparous | giving birth to larvae. |
| metachrosis | the ability of animals to change colour. |
| metamorphosis | a process of developmental change in insects whereby a larva reaches adulthood only after a radical change in morphology, often involving a pupa stage. |
| metecdysis | the period following the moult (ecdysis) of an arthropod, when the new cuticle is forming. |
| morphallaxis | regeneration in a changed form. |
| neoteinia | prolonged retention of larval or immature characteristics or features in the adult form. |
| neotenic | exhibiting neoteny, retention of infantile or juvenile characteristics into adulthood. |
| neotenous | exhibiting neoteny, retention of infantile or juvenile characteristics into adulthood. |
| neoteny | prolonged retention of larval or immature characteristics or features in the adult form. |
| nidicolous | reared in a nest; sharing a nest. |
| nidifugous | leaving the nest soon after hatching. |
| phaeism | duskiness, incomplete melanism (in butterflies etc). |
| phasic | relating to phasis, a morph. |
| phasis | a stage in growth or development. |
| photokinesis | motion or activity induced by light. |
| photokinetic | relating to photokinesis. |
| photonastic | related to photonasty, the adoption of a certain position due to the effect of light on growth. |
| photonasty | the adoption of a certain position due to the effect of light on growth. |
| photoperiod | the period during every 24 hours when an organism is exposed to daylight. |
| photophil | an organism that seeks the light. |
| photophilic | light-loving, turning towards the light. |
| photophily | the state of being photophilic, light-loving, turning towards the light. |
| phototaxy | movement of an entire organism in response to light. |
| phototonic | relating to phototonus, the sensitivity of a living organism to light. |
| phototonus | the sensitivity of a living organism to light. |
| predatory | preying on other animals. |
| procrypsis | protective coloration. |
| procryptic | pertaining to or having protective coloration. |
| procryptically | (Adv.) PROCRYPTIC, pertaining to or having protective coloration. |
| pupate | to pass through a chrysalis stage. |
| pupation | the act of becoming a pupa. |
| spinigrade | moving by means of spines, as an echinoderm does; (noun) a type of spiny echinoderm. |
| stereotaxic | relating to stereotaxis, the reaction of an organism to contact with a solid body. |
| stereotaxically | (Adv.) STEREOTAXIC, relating to stereotaxis, the reaction of an organism to contact with a solid body. |
| stereotaxis | the reaction of an organism to contact with a solid body. |
| synaposematic | having a warning coloration common to a number of dangerous species in the same region. |
| taligrade | walking on the outer side of the foot, as opposed to plantigrade. |
| telotaxis | a taxis by which an organism orients itself in respect to a stimulus. |
| tropotaxis | a taxis in which an organism orients itself by the simultaneous comparison of stimuli of different intensity operating on different end organs. |
| vagile | having the ability to move about. |
| xanthism | a condition of skin, fur or feathers in which yellow coloration predominates. |
| xylotomous | of insects, wood-cutting or wood-boring. |
| zeitgeber | (Ger.) an environmental cue, such as light, that helps to regulate the biological clock in an organism. |