Egg

The egg is the first stage in the life cycle of most insects. Eggs can be laid singly, in clusters or in specialist structures called oothecae.

Insect eggs are very small and often susceptible to drying out (dessication) so the female insect often selects the site to lay her eggs on very carefully. In species where the larval food plant is very important then the female will often lay her eggs on or near the food plant.

A photograph of eggs of the Vapourer Moth.
Photograph by Beentree licensed under Creative Commons.

Other names for (or types of) Egg include:

• Ovum

Related terms

• Aedeagus
• Botfly
• Chorion
• Eclosion
• Fecundity
• Life stage
• Ootheca
• Ovary
• Oviparity
• Ovipositor

Related groups of terms

• General biology
• Insect life cycles

Related pages on this web site

• Insect life cycles

See other words beginning with E