Britannica Sources used in this answer

Which insects undergo complete metamorphosis?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Illustration showing a variety of adult insects, each labeled with its common name and order, including walkingstick, earwig, stonefly, tree cricket, dragonfly, female scale, cat flea, thrips, sucking louse, thysanuran, ant, scarab beetle, stinkbug, mosquito, and cabbage butterfly, highlighting their diverse shapes and sizes. — insect An illustration of insect diversity.

Insects that undergo complete metamorphosis are referred to as holometabolous insects. In this developmental process, the insect passes through four distinct life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult.12

The larval stage is typically wingless and differs significantly from the adult form in both appearance and habits, as it is specialized for growth rather than reproduction. During the inactive pupal stage, the insect undergoes a dramatic transformation, breaking down larval tissues and developing adult structures, such as wings.21

Major orders and groups of insects that exhibit complete metamorphosis include:

Coleoptera (beetles)12
Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths)12
Hymenoptera (ants, wasps, and bees)12
Diptera (true flies)12

Some insects, such as certain beetles and flies, may also undergo a more complex variation of this process known as hypermetamorphosis, which involves a series of distinct larval stages.2