Larvae continue to grow and molt as they pass through various instar stages.

Larvae continue to grow and molt as they pass through various instar stages.

• A. They molt through instar stages as they grow.
• B. They metamorphose directly into adults.
• C. They never molt after hatching.
• D. They molt only once then die.

Answer: (A)

Larvae grow by shedding their skin in a process called molting, producing a series of instar stages. With each molt the insect increases in size and enters a new instar, which is exactly what the statement describes. This pattern—growth through repeated molts and distinct larval stages—is how many insects develop before reaching pupation or adulthood, and it’s a fundamental concept used to estimate larval age in forensic contexts. Why the other ideas don’t fit: metamorphosing directly into adults would skip these successive molts and instar stages; never molting after hatching would prevent growth; molting only once would not account for the multiple larval stages observed as larvae increase in size.

Larvae grow by shedding their skin in a process called molting, producing a series of instar stages. With each molt the insect increases in size and enters a new instar, which is exactly what the statement describes. This pattern—growth through repeated molts and distinct larval stages—is how many insects develop before reaching pupation or adulthood, and it’s a fundamental concept used to estimate larval age in forensic contexts.

Why the other ideas don’t fit: metamorphosing directly into adults would skip these successive molts and instar stages; never molting after hatching would prevent growth; molting only once would not account for the multiple larval stages observed as larvae increase in size.