Holometabola
Holometabola, also known as Endopterygota, is a supra-ordinal clade of insects within the infraclass Neoptera that go through distinctive larval, pupal, and adult stages. They undergo a radical metamorphosis, with the larval and adult stages differing considerably in their structure and behaviour. This is called holometabolism, or complete metamorphism.
Evolution
The Holometabola constitute the most diverse insect superorder, with over 1 million living species divided between 11 orders, containing insects such as butterflies, flies, fleas, bees, ants, and beetles.The earliest holometabolan fossils date from the Carboniferous.
The Holometabola are sometimes divided into three assemblages: Neuropterida, Hymenopteroida, and Panorpida.
Molecular analysis has clarified the group's phylogeny, as shown in the cladogram.