insect mouthparts Flashcards
(12 cards)
What is the labrum?
Movable flap-like broad flat surface covering the top of the mouth
Also referred to as the ‘upper lip’.
What are mandibles?
Upper jaws; tooth-like structure for chewing, grinding, tearing or pinching-off solid food
Essential for the feeding process.
What are maxillae?
Lower jaws located behind the mandibles
Assist in the manipulation of food.
What is the hypopharynx?
Central tongue that bears the opening of the salivary ducts
Plays a role in digestion.
What is the labium?
Lower lip structure found posterior to the maxillae
Contributes to the mouthparts’ functionality.
What characterizes the Chewing/Mandibulate type?
Presence of a pair of heavily sclerotized mandibles used in grinding and cutting solid food
Examples include caterpillars and grasshoppers.
What is the Chewing-Lapping type?
Mandibles and labrum adapted for chewing and grasping prey; functions in wax molding for nest materials
Example: Honeybees.
What is the Cutting-Sponging type?
Mandibles made into sharp blades; maxillae form a long probing style
Example: Horsefly.
What defines the Piercing-Sucking type?
Mouthparts modified into a tubular organ that penetrates plant tissues to take in juices
Examples: Aphids, mosquitoes, leafhoppers.
What is the Rasping-Sucking type?
Equipped with a cone-shaped beak originating from the clypeus, labrum, maxillae, and labium
Example: Thrips.
What is the Siphoning type?
Galeae fused to form a coiled tube called ‘proboscis’ for sucking nectar from flowers
Example: Adult moths and butterflies.
What characterizes the Sponging type?
Mandibles and maxillae do not function in eating; remaining parts form a proboscis with a sponge-like end called labella
Example: House flies.
