A subclass of insects that undergo incomplete metamorphosis, with wings developing externally through successive molts rather than as an internal process.
From Greek 'exo-' (outside), 'pteryx' (wing), and the plural suffix '-ota'. This taxonomic group was named for how their wings grow visibly on the outside of their bodies during development.
Grasshoppers, cockroaches, and dragonflies are exopterygota—you can actually see their tiny wing buds growing on the outside of their bodies after each molt, getting bigger and bigger until they finally mature, which is totally different from butterflies whose wings develop hidden inside a chrysalis.
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