Which of the following insects undergoes incomplete metamorphosis?

Incomplete metamorphosis is characterized by three life stages: egg, nymph, and adult. Insects that undergo this process do not go through a pupal stage, which distinguishes them from those that undergo complete metamorphosis, like butterflies and moths.

Grasshoppers exemplify insects with incomplete metamorphosis. They hatch from eggs into nymphs, which resemble small adults but lack fully developed wings and reproductive organs. As nymphs grow, they molt several times, gradually developing into full adult grasshoppers. This distinctive life cycle allows them to transition from nymph to adult without the significant transformation that occurs in species that undergo complete metamorphosis.

In contrast, butterflies and moths, although closely related, undergo complete metamorphosis, with distinct larval and pupal stages, while caterpillars are the larval stage of butterflies and moths, also going through complete metamorphosis. The key difference lies in the presence of the pupal stage in the latter examples, which is absent in grasshoppers. Thus, grasshoppers clearly demonstrate the process of incomplete metamorphosis.