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Insects have spiracles on their exoskeletons to allow air to enter the trachea. [1] [page needed] In insects, the tracheal tubes primarily deliver oxygen directly into the insects' tissues. The spiracles can be opened and closed in an efficient manner to reduce water loss. This is done by contracting closer muscles surrounding the spiracle.
The timing and duration of spiracle closures can affect the respiratory rates of the organism. [5] Spiracles may also be surrounded by hairs to minimize bulk air movement around the opening, and thus minimize water loss. In larger insects, spiracle control is more complex and critical for managing gas exchange due to their higher metabolic demands.
Stylized diagram of insect digestive tract showing malpighian tubule, from an insect of the order Orthoptera. The first section of the alimentary canal is the foregut (element 27 in numbered diagram), or stomodaeum. The foregut is lined with a cuticular lining made of chitin and proteins as protection from tough food.
Chalcidoid wasps are small wasps (most within the range 0.5–5 mm). However the group does include the smallest known insect (Dicopomorpha echmepterygis males have a body length of 0.14–0.24 mm); the largest chalcidoids include Leucospis gigas with a body length of up to 21 mm [2] and Doddifoenus wallacei with a body length of up to 19.6 mm. [3]
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During the closed phase of discontinuous gas exchange cycles, the spiracle muscles contract, causing the spiracles to shut tight. At the initiation of the closed phase, the partial pressure of both O 2 and CO 2 is close to that of the external environment, but closure of the spiracles drastically reduces the capacity for the exchange of gases with the external environment. [2]
The forelegs are reduced in the Nymphalidae Diagram of an insect leg. The thorax, which develops from segments 2, 3, and 4 of the larva, consists of three invisibly divided segments, namely prothorax, metathorax, and mesothorax. [11] The organs of insect locomotion – the legs and wings – are borne on the thorax.
Tracheole (trā'kē-ōl') is a fine respiratory tube of the trachea of an insect or a spider, part of the respiratory system. Tracheoles are about 1 μm in diameter, and they convey oxygen to cells while providing a means for carbon dioxide to escape.