ametabolousadj.
/ˌeɪmᵻˈtabələs/, /ˌamᵻˈtabələs/, U.S. /ˌeɪməˈtæbələs/, /ˌæməˈtæbələs/ Zoology.
That does not undergo or exhibit metamorphosis (metamorphosis n. 3a). Cf. ametabolic adj.
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the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > group Ametabola > [adjective]
ametabolous1828
ametabolian1840
ametabolic1844
homomorphous1854
homomorphic1874
the world > animals > invertebrates > subkingdom Metazoa > grade Triploblastica or Coelomata > phylum Mollusca > [adjective] > having other characteristics
ametabolous1828
black-lip1852
1828 Zool. Jrnl. 4 122 It here becomes a leading object to point out the analogies between each type of larvæ and the ametabolous groups with which they correspond.
1870 G. Rolleston Forms Animal Life xxxiv. 105 The fresh-water congeners of marine species which go through metamorphoses, are very frequently ametabolous in the sub-kingdoms of Mollusca.
1920 tr. D. Rivas Human Parasitol. xix. 460 Like the trematodes, the leeches are oviparous, but unlike them they have no larval stage so that the development is ametabolous.
2009 V. H. Resh & R. T. Cardé Encycl. Insects (ed. 2) 262/1 Insect orders exhibiting ametabolous development belong to the Apterygota, or wingless insects.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2020; most recently modified version published online December 2021).
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adj.1828