hemipneustic adjective1 •in tracheal systems, having at least one functional pair of spiracles fewer than than the ten open pairs in holopneustic tracheal systems; hemipneustic systems occur for example, in the larvae of some Lepidoptera.Hemipneustic Respiratory Systems... are prevalent among insect larvae and are derived from the holopneustic type through one or more pairs of spiracles becoming non-functional. — 1977
