Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Insect mouthparts show a multitude of different functional mechanisms across the wide diversity of insect species. It is common for significant homology to be conserved, with matching structures forming from matching primordia , and having the same evolutionary origin.
The mouthparts of orthopteran insects are often used as a basic example of mandibulate (chewing) mouthparts, and the mandibles themselves are likewise generalized in structure. They are large and hardened, shaped like pinchers, with cutting surfaces on the distal portion and chewing or grinding surfaces basally .
In general, arthropods have mouthparts for cutting, chewing, piercing, sucking, shredding, siphoning, and filtering. This article outlines the basic elements of four arthropod groups: insects, myriapods, crustaceans and chelicerates. Insects are used as the model, with the novel mouthparts of the other groups introduced in turn.
While mandibles or jaws (chewing mouthparts) are only present in the caterpillar stage, the mouthparts of most adult Lepidoptera mainly consist of the sucking kind; this part is known as the proboscis or haustellum. A few Lepidoptera species have reduced mouthparts and do not feed in the adult state.
On the other end of the spectrum, horse flies and deer flies use "blade-like" mouthparts to slash the skin before eating the spilling blood, which causes large, painful bites, Frye says.
The insect mouthparts consist of the maxilla, labium, and in some species, the mandibles. [8]: 16 [23] The labrum is a simple, fused sclerite, often called the upper lip, and moves longitudinally. It is hinged to the clypeus.
The insect mouthparts show, according to the systematic group, a variety of conformations. Mouthparts are modified and combined into a sucking proboscis, which is highly variable in structure. The ancestral condition is the piercing and sucking type proboscis, more modified proboscis forms variously rasp or sponge fluids.
Bed Bug Bites. What they look like: Often confused with mosquito bites, bed bug bites are small, red, puffy bumps that appear in lines or clusters, usually three or more. They can have distinct ...