Which are the body parts of an insect?

INSECT ANATOMY

Many insects start life as soft-skinned grubs, or larvae, but eventually they all turn into adults with hard, segmented bodies and six jointed legs. Their skin is toughened with a substance called chitin, which is rather like hard plastic, so it acts as an external skeleton. It is often shiny and brightly coloured, but it can look furry or scaly. Most adult insects like wasp also have wings made from sheets of chitin, powered by muscles inside their bodies.

  1. ANTENNAE An insect’s long antennae help it feel its way, but they are mainly used to detect scent. They are covered with sensitive nerve endings that pick up chemical signals. The antennae of some moths can detect scents from more than a kilometre (0.6 miles) away.
  2. HEAD An insect’s head contains its brain and carries most of its sense organs. It is also equipped with mouthparts that are specialized to deal with its diet. A mosquito has a sharp needle for sucking blood, while this wasp has stout jaws for chewing other insects.
  3. EYES Like many other insects, an adult wasp has two large compound eyes. Each has hundreds of tiny lenses that see the world as a mosaic of coloured dots. A wasp also has three small simple eyes, which are called ocelli, on the top of its head.
  4. THORAX The legs and wings of an insect are attached to the front section of its body, the thorax. This is packed with wing muscles, which power the wings rather like someone in a rowing boat using a pair of oars. It also contains the insect’s crop, used to store food.
  5. ABDOMEN The flexible abdomen contains most of an insect’s internal organs, including its digestive system. Tiny holes lead to a system of tubes that supply air to its organs and muscles. The vivid stripes of this wasp warn other animals that it can sting.
  6. WINGS The wings of an insect like this wasp are thin, transparent plates of chitin. Butterfly and moth wings are similar, but covered with coloured scales. Most insects have two pairs of wings for flight, but flies have just one pair.
  7. STING Most insects are harmless, but some may bite or sting. This wasp has a sting in its tail that can inject painful venom. It uses it to defend itself and its nest, and to kill insect prey.
  8. LEGS All adult insects have six legs. When they walk, they lift three legs while keeping the other three on the ground – like a tripod – so they have no problem with balance. Each leg is a series of stiff tubes, hinged together and powered by muscles inside the tubes.

Picture Credit : Google

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