Which of the following best describes larva?

The larva is best described as the wormlike stage following the egg, which is an important developmental phase in many insects' life cycles. During this stage, the larva typically focuses on growth and development, feeding voraciously to acquire the nutrients needed to undergo later transformations. This stage is characterized by a distinct morphological appearance compared to both the egg and the adult phases. Insects may exhibit different larval forms, such as caterpillars in butterflies or grubs in beetles, but they all share the common trait of being immature forms that eventually transform into adults through metamorphosis. The larval stage precedes the pupal phase in the life cycle, where further transformation occurs before emerging as an adult. Understanding this stage is crucial in forensic science, especially in entomology, where insect life cycles can provide significant information regarding time of death in crime scene investigations.