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6. Insect External Anatomy, Thorax
Pro-, meso- and meta-thorax
Each segment bears a pair of legs
Meso- and meta-thorax each bear a pair of wings
7. Insect External Anatomy, Abdomen
Reproductive Appendages
Ovipositor in females
Penis in males
Cerci
Sensory organs
Pinching weapons
Used for copulation
8. Part 3: Insect ID
There are many keys to help in the accurate identification of insects:
Wings
Antennae
Legs
Mouthparts
Examples of Insect Wing Venation
-Wing function for flight varies among insects.
-Wing surfaces may be covered with fine hairs or scales, or they may be bare
-Venation: the arrangement of veins in the wings. Each group of insects has a different pattern.
-Names of most insect orders end in “ptera” which comes from the greek word meaning wing
- Hymenoptera means membrane wing
- Diptera means two winged and so forth
Examples of Insect Legs
-Insects have three pairs of jointed legs on the thorax
-Legs are almost always are present in adult or mature insects
-Functions of legs
- digging, grasping, feeling, swimming, carrying loads, building nests and cleaning
-Insect legs vary so greatly in size and form and are regularly used in classification, especially the feet (tarsi)
-Prolegs: fleshy body projections or false legs occur only on larvae of certain insect orders
Examples of Insect Antennae
-Adult insects have one pair of antenna
-Usually located between or in front of the eyes, are segmented and vary greatly in form and complexity
-They primarily are organs of smell, but serve other functions in some insects
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