Which of the following is an example of complete metamorphosis?

The correct choice of beetles and butterflies as examples of complete metamorphosis is based on the life cycle characteristics that define this developmental process. Complete metamorphosis, or holometabolism, involves four distinct life stages: the egg, larva, pupa, and adult.

In beetles, the life cycle begins with an egg that hatches into a larval form, often referred to as a grub. The larva grows and eventually enters the pupal stage, during which significant transformation occurs internally and externally. After this pupal stage, the adult beetle emerges, fully formed and ready to reproduce.

Butterflies, too, undergo complete metamorphosis. They start from an egg, hatch into a caterpillar (the larval stage), then form a chrysalis (the pupal stage) before emerging as an adult butterfly. This profound change during the pupal stage is what distinguishes complete metamorphosis from incomplete metamorphosis, where organisms like springtails and silverfish develop through a series of nymph stages that resemble smaller versions of the adult without a pupal stage. Additionally, termites and cockroaches undergo gradual metamorphosis (hemimetabolism), meaning they have egg, nymph, and adult stages without a