Lecture 5: Insect construction

Question 1

3 main parts of insects body:

Answer 1

the head
the thorax
abdomen

Question 2

how many segments ? head:

Answer 2

6; mouth & Sensory organs

Question 3

how many segments ? thorax:

Answer 3

3 segments; Pro-, Meso-, Meta-thorax

Question 4

how many segments? abdomen

Answer 4

11 segments:

• reproductive organs/Genitalia
• Gut

Question 5

how many segments in total do insects have?

Answer 5

20

Question 6

prominent structure of head:

Answer 6

• compound eyes

- antennae

Question 7

antennae functions:

Answer 7

• grabbing females in pre-copulation guarding

- sensory

Question 8

mouthparts plan is ___ but have a ___ variety

Answer 8

• pretty fixed in insects

- large

Question 9

Insects mouthpart structures:

Answer 9

• Clypeus + Labrum (2 plates, stop food falling out, feel & taste)
• mandible (biting & chewing, highly hard cuticle)
• maxilla (hardened spines on inside her handling food)
• labium (essentially lower lip, stops food falling out back)

Question 10

mouthparts modified in different insects to carry out different feeding types:

Answer 10

• Chewing
• Sucking (butterfly, true bugs, flies)
• Lapping
• Biting (beetles)
• Piercing (true bugs)

Question 11

do mandibles of common grass hoppers wear down?

Answer 11

YES

Question 12

meso- & meta- thorax contain muscles for:

Answer 12

contains muscles which power the wings

Question 13

all three thorax sections contain muscles for

Answer 13

for the legs, they all have a set of legs

Question 14

legs:

Answer 14

USUALLY

• femur longer contains muscle for power
• tibia shorter

Question 15

long thin stilt like legs of true bugs allows them to

Answer 15

walk on water

Question 16

mole crickets adaptation:

Answer 16

legs used for kicking and digging

Question 17

wings structure tells us

Answer 17

veins highly conserved, tells us only one evolutionary origin

Question 18

wings veins used for

Answer 18

structural components, aerodynamically useful

Question 19

in primitive insects the for and hind wings can

Answer 19

move independently, aerodynamic efficient but problems in maneuverability
-built for low energy stable flights (gliders)

Question 20

true flies wings:

Answer 20

• big body, small wings
• fighter jets
• energetic
• costly & unstable but increased maneuverability

Question 21

wing folding allows insects to

Answer 21

put their wings away and for example bury into ground etc

Question 22

haltiers in true flies

Answer 22

• hindwing turns into haltiers
• increases manoeuvrability
• tells individuals when flying where up & down is

Question 23

haltiers have evolved:

Answer 23

at least twice