Neoptera is a classification group that includes almost all the winged
insects, specifically those that can flex their wings over their abdomens. This is in contrast with the more
basal orders of winged insects (the "
Paleoptera" assemblage), which are unable to flex their wings in this way.
ITIS lumps all neopteran orders together in this
infraclass without subdivision; other authorities recognise several
superorders within it. Almost universally accepted are the
Exopterygota -
hemimetabolous neopterans, in which the wings are already visible before the adult stage and no
pupa or
chrysalis stage occurs -, and the
Endopterygota, the
holometabolous insects in which the wings develop inside the body during the
larval stage and only become external appendages during the pupa or chrysalis stage.
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