Glossary terms beginning with N

Nanitic

small workers in a eusocial insect colony; usually these workers are from the first brood.
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Naphthalene

a strong smelling crystalline hydrocarbon used in mothballs.
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Native

cf. Indigenous - an organism that is naturally occurring in a specific area.

Natural history

the study of the natural world.
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Necrophagous

a feeding behaviour where an organism feeds on carrion from an organism they did not kill.
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Neo-darwinism

cf. Modern evolutionary synthesis - the process of evolution which is based on the work of Charles Darwin but also includes more recent discoveries and findings from modern scientific research and genetics.

Neotype

cf. Type specimen - a specimen that acts as the name bearer for a species.

Net

a item of collecting equipment used by biologists. Nets have a 'bag' attached to a frame at the end of a handle.
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Neuroptera

the Order Neuroptera are primitive insects. The Order contains about 4,000 species. Insects in the Order are known by a variety of names including Lacewings, Antlions and Mantidflies.
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No-see-ums

cf. Midge - the name given to a number of species of, often biting, fly in the suborder Nematocera.

Noctuid

moths within the family Noctuidae.
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Nocturnal

nocturnal animals are those that are active during the night.
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Non-insect hexapods

the grouping of three classes of six-legged invertebrates that are not insects.
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Nuptial flight

the mating flight of some insects such as social bees and ants.
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Nuptial gift

items provided by a male invertebrate to a female prior to mating.
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Nymph

cf. Larva - the juvenile form of an insect.

Nymphalidae

cf. Browns - the collective name given to butterflies within the family Nymphalidae that have brown wings.