General question - What is instar??

[colicabcadam]

I've never fully understood this. i know it's to do with moulting ect but this is what i don't get...

Does 3I mean the 3rd installation of its life, so meaning it would have moulted only 2 times

or

Does 3I mean it has moulted 3 times...

TIA

 

[insekta]

An instar is the period between each molt. So a 1st instar would be after the first molt and before the second. It's kind of a chicken before the egg thing, though!
first molt, first instar, molt, second instar, molt, third instar... up to maturity.

 

[colicabcadam]

ok great, much appreciated, does this work for all the other types of animals on here, scoprions, mantids?

i notice L1, L2, L3 are used with animals like mantids, same meaning right?

 

[Miss Bianca]

An instar is the period between each molt. So a 1st instar would be after the first molt and before the second. It's kind of a chicken before the egg thing, though!
first molt, first instar, molt, second instar, molt, third instar... up to maturity.

exacttttttt-ly..... so basically you know if you're getting instars mentioned at all they're really little guys...

ex: "secOnd instar slings"

 

[insekta]

ok great, much appreciated, does this work for all the other types of animals on here, scoprions, mantids?

i notice L1, L2, L3 are used with animals like mantids, same meaning right?

The term instar is used for all arthopods, I believe (could be wrong), but I think they have different designation depending on the life cycle of the bug. Spiders are different than butterflies, which are different than bees. I've only had T's and a Mantid, so I'm unfamiliar with how the term applies to other creatures.

 

[Newyork]

This thread sure cleared things up for me. When i read about instars in the tarantula keepers guide i was so confused.

 

[radicaldementia]

I don't think instars are used for some insects like beetles. I could be wrong, but most beetles and flies don't molt regularly, they just go through 2-3 stages where each stage is dramatically different and has its own name: larva, pupa, etc... whereas instars are used for arthropods who basically live as a single stage, but get progressively larger.

But yes, T's, scorps, pedes, roaches, etc. all use instar.

 

[colicabcadam]

Thanks all, great answers and input

 

[Kid Dragon]

There are two very different kinds of insect life cycles. Over 80% of all insects undergo complete metamorphosis: egg-larva-pupa-adult. Examples are beetles, butterflies, moths, and flies.

Under 20% of the insect species undergo incomplete metamorphosis: egg-nymph-nymph-nymph-nymph-etc-adult. Examples are grasshoppers, mantids, crickets, cicadas, and true bugs.

In insects the term instar is used only for the insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis to keep track of which nymph stage they are on. The nymph stage looks very much the same as other nymph stages, except after each molt they get larger. The nymph looks alot like the adult stage except it is smaller, its head looks larger in relation to its body, it has no wings, and is not sexually mature.

In spiders, after every molt you have a new instar stage. After a while as the spider gets bigger people stop counting the instar stages and describe it by size in mm, cm or inches.

As stated in other posts, after the first molt you would have the first instar.