A small animal, usually having six walking legs, wings, and three body divisions in the adult stage, is called what?

A small animal, usually having six walking legs, wings, and three body divisions in the adult stage, is called what?

• A. Insect
• B. Larva
• C. Lesions
• D. Ligule

Answer: (A)

The features described—six walking legs, wings, and a body divided into head, thorax, and abdomen in the adult stage—point to insects. Insects are defined by having three body segments and three pairs of legs on the thorax, which is a hallmark of adult insects. Wings are common in many adult insects, though some species are wingless, the overall adult body plan still fits the insect group. A larva is an immature stage that usually doesn’t show the adult body plan with three distinct segments and typically doesn’t have the same leg arrangement. Lesions and ligules aren’t animals at all—the former is a skin abnormality and the latter is a plant leaf part—so they don’t describe an animal.

The features described—six walking legs, wings, and a body divided into head, thorax, and abdomen in the adult stage—point to insects. Insects are defined by having three body segments and three pairs of legs on the thorax, which is a hallmark of adult insects. Wings are common in many adult insects, though some species are wingless, the overall adult body plan still fits the insect group.

A larva is an immature stage that usually doesn’t show the adult body plan with three distinct segments and typically doesn’t have the same leg arrangement.

Lesions and ligules aren’t animals at all—the former is a skin abnormality and the latter is a plant leaf part—so they don’t describe an animal.