In biology , the imago ( Latin for "image") is the last stage an insect attains during its metamorphosis , its process of growth and development; it is also called the imaginal stage ("imaginal" being "imago" in adjective form), the stage in which the insect attains maturity. It follows the final ecdysis of the immature instars .
2-535: An imago (plural: imagines or imagoes) is the last (or adult) stage of development of an insect. Imago may also refer to: Imago In a member of the Ametabola or Hemimetabola , species in which metamorphosis is "incomplete", the final ecdysis follows the last immature or nymphal stage. In members of the Holometabola , in which there is a pupal stage, the final ecdysis follows emergence from
4-471: The pupa , after which the metamorphosis is complete, although there is a prolonged period of maturation in some species. The imago is the only stage during which the insect is sexually mature and, if it is a winged species, the only stage that has functional wings. The imago often is referred to as the adult stage. Members of the order Ephemeroptera (mayflies) do not have a pupal stage, but they briefly pass through an intermediate winged stage called
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