Which insect goes through a complete metamorphosis?

Which insect goes through a complete metamorphosis?

• A. Bedbug
• B. Indian meal moth
• C. Cockroaches
• D. Termite

Answer: (B)

Complete metamorphosis involves four life stages—egg, larva, pupa, and adult—with a pupal stage where a dramatic transformation occurs. The Indian meal moth fits this pattern: it starts as an egg, becomes a caterpillar-like larva, then forms a silk cocoon to become a pupa, and finally emerges as an adult moth. The other insects listed—bedbugs, cockroaches, and termites—undergo incomplete metamorphosis, where eggs hatch into nymphs that look like smaller versions of the adults and molt through several stages without a pupal phase.

Complete metamorphosis involves four life stages—egg, larva, pupa, and adult—with a pupal stage where a dramatic transformation occurs. The Indian meal moth fits this pattern: it starts as an egg, becomes a caterpillar-like larva, then forms a silk cocoon to become a pupa, and finally emerges as an adult moth. The other insects listed—bedbugs, cockroaches, and termites—undergo incomplete metamorphosis, where eggs hatch into nymphs that look like smaller versions of the adults and molt through several stages without a pupal phase.