(1) When the eggs hatch, the caterpillar enters the first instar (stage of development).

(2) At the end of the third instar , the larva wriggles out of its warble, falls to the ground, and burrows into the soil to pupate.

(3) After the second moult, larvae preyed only on the first-instar nymphs of Libyaspis, while the larvae of later instars preyed on nymphs of a wide range of sizes.

(4) The life cycle of most metamorphic insects includes several sequential larval instars followed by a molt to a pupa, and then a final molt to the adult.

(5) The larval stage consists of four phases, or instars , with a complete molt between each instar.