Cyclorrhaphan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A fly whose pupa develops within a hardened larval skin that opens along a circular seam at one end
2. A member of the fly group in which the pupal case forms from the last larval skin and splits circularly when the adult emerges
3. A fly characterized by pupation within a barrel-shaped case derived from the final larval integument, which ruptures in a circular pattern

Etymology: "Cyclorrhaphan" is a technical term from zoology, and its history is purely a matter of taxonomic naming. It derives from the scientific name Cyclorrhapha, the label for a large suborder of flies whose pupae emerge from their casings through a circular seam at the front end, a feature the name itself describes: in Greek terms, roughly "circular stitching" (from "kyklos," circle, and "rhaphē," seam). The suffix "-an" is attached to that name in the usual way to make an adjective or noun meaning belonging to, or a member of, that group. Because the word is built directly from a Latinized scientific name, its meaning depends entirely on that taxonomic category. Anyone encountering it is most likely reading an entomology text, where it refers to flies in the Cyclorrhapha group, such as house flies, fruit flies and hoverflies.