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apterygote

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ap⋅ter⋅y⋅gote

[ap-ter-i-goht, ap-ter-]
–adjective
belonging or pertaining to the Apterygota, a subclass of primitive wingless insects that undergo little or no metamorphosis.
Also, ap⋅ter⋅y⋅go⋅tous [ap-ter-i-goh-tuhs] .


Origin:
< NL Apterygota name of the subclass, equiv. to a- a- 6 + Pterygota < Gk, neut. pl. of pterygōtós winged, deriv. of pteryg- (s. of ptéryx) wing
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Encyclopedia

apterygote

broadly, any of the primitive wingless insects of the subclass Apterygota (class Insecta), distinct from the subclass Pterygota, or winged insects. Used in this sense, the term apterygotes commonly includes four groups of primitive insects: proturans, collembolans, diplurans, and thysanurans. The taxonomic status of these groups, however, remains unsettled.

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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