What are larvae like?

What are larvae like?

• A. Winged adults resembling parents
• B. Wormlike, no external wings, do not resemble adults, must molt to grow
• C. Encased in a chrysalis
• D. Immediate reproduction after hatching

Answer: (B)

Larvae are the immature form of many insects that undergo complete metamorphosis. They typically look very different from adults, lack wings, and grow by shedding their skin through several molts. This description—wormlike, wingless, not resembling the adult, and increasing in size through molts—fits the larval stage best. The other options describe later life stages or different development patterns: a chrysalis is the pupal stage, adults that resemble their parents indicate little or no metamorphosis, and reproducing immediately after hatching would occur only after development is complete, not during the larval phase.

Larvae are the immature form of many insects that undergo complete metamorphosis. They typically look very different from adults, lack wings, and grow by shedding their skin through several molts. This description—wormlike, wingless, not resembling the adult, and increasing in size through molts—fits the larval stage best. The other options describe later life stages or different development patterns: a chrysalis is the pupal stage, adults that resemble their parents indicate little or no metamorphosis, and reproducing immediately after hatching would occur only after development is complete, not during the larval phase.