Which of the following insects undergoes complete metamorphosis?

The correct answer is butterflies because they exemplify complete metamorphosis, a development process that includes four distinct life stages: egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa (chrysalis), and adult. This transformation involves significant changes in morphology and ecology, allowing butterflies to occupy different ecological niches in their various life stages.

In complete metamorphosis, the larval stage (caterpillar) is focused on growth and feeding, while the pupal stage represents a transformative phase where the organism undergoes significant restructuring before emerging as an adult. This contrasts with insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis, where there are only three stages (egg, nymph, and adult), and changes from one stage to the next are gradual rather than dramatic.

Insects like silverfish, grasshoppers, and lice do not undergo complete metamorphosis. Silverfish are primitive wingless insects that develop through gradual growth. Grasshoppers belong to the category of insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis, with nymphs that resemble smaller adults. Lice, similarly, develop through a gradual process of molts without distinct stages of transformation seen in complete metamorphosis. Thus, butterflies stand out as the only option that illustrates complete metamorphosis in this