Final answer:
Insects that undergo a complete change in appearance from juvenile to adult through their development experience holometabolous metamorphosis, involving distinct life cycle stages of egg, larva, pupa, and adult.
Step-by-step explanation:
Insects that develop by holometabolous metamorphosis make a complete change in appearance from juvenile to adult. This type of metamorphosis involves the insect going through four distinct life cycle stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. During the pupal stage, the insect undergoes a remarkable transformation where tissues and appendages of the larva break down and reorganize into the adult form.
Examples of insects undergoing complete metamorphosis include ants, beetles, flies, and butterflies. These insects, like the butterfly, start as an egg, emerge as a caterpillar-like larva, and then enter a pupal stage where they develop into the adult insect. Transformation during this stage is so significant that the adult bears little resemblance to the earlier stages.
In contrast, insects undergoing hemimetabolous or incomplete metamorphosis, such as grasshoppers, change more gradually. This process involves young insects resembling wingless adults and eventually developing wings and sex organs after successive molts.