Which insect undergoes complete metamorphosis?

• A. Squash Bug
• B. Stonefly
• C. Tent Caterpillar Moth
• D. Tarnished Plant Bug

Answer: (C)

Complete metamorphosis means four distinct life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult, with the larva looking very different from the adult and a pupal stage where transformation occurs. The Tent Caterpillar Moth follows this pattern: it begins as an egg, hatches into a caterpillar (the larval stage you see as a hairy worm), then forms a pupa (often in a cocoon), and finally emerges as an adult moth. The other insects listed don’t have a pupal stage or their nymphs resemble adults, which is characteristic of incomplete metamorphosis; squash bugs and tarnished plant bugs are true bugs with gradual development, and stoneflies have aquatic nymphs that don’t undergo a pupal transformation. So, the Tent Caterpillar Moth is the one that undergoes complete metamorphosis.