Diapause

Diapause is a state of arrested development of an organism. It is usually the result of environmental factors.

For example, the larvae of the blowfly Lucilia sericata enter a state of diapause as day-length shortens and temperature falls. After they have completed their feeding the larvae fall to the ground and, rather than pupate, they burrow into the ground. They spend the winter in the soil as larvae and only return to the soil surface and pupate in the spring.

Related terms

• Aestivation
• Hibernation
• Pupa

Related groups of terms

• General biology
• Insect life cycles

Related pages on this web site

• Insect life cycles
• True flies - Order Diptera

See other words beginning with D