The most visible parts of the body of an adult insect are: the head, the antennae, the mouthparts, the thorax, the wings, the legs, and the abdomen.
To learn more about the anatomy, click on the different body parts of this insect !!
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Head
The head is the anterior of the three body regions of an adult insect. It bears the eyes (usually a pair of compound eyes), the antennae and the mouthparts.
Thorax
The thorax is the middle of the three body regions of an adult insect. It is composed of 3 segments. It bears 3 pairs of legs (one on each segment) and usually 2 pairs of wings. Some insects have only 1 pair of wings.
Abdomen
The abdomen is the posterior of the three body regions of an adult insect. It is composed of 11 segments. The abdomen bears the external genitalia of the insect. In female insects these consist of an ovipositor.
Wings
Most adult insects have 2 pairs of wings, but some (for example flies) have only 1 pair of wings. Usually the wings are membranous but in some insects they can be leathery or hard. Sometimes the wings bear hairs or small scales.
Legs
Adult insects have 6 legs. Each of the segments of the thorax bears 1 pair of legs. The legs are segmented. Often the last segment of the leg bears a small claw. In some insects, the legs are specially adapted for jumping.
Antennae
The head of most adult insects bears a pair of antennae. Insects use the antennae to detect odours or they use them as tactile (touch) organs. Antennae of different insects are very variable in form and size.
Mouthparts
The mouthparts of adult insects can be of different types. In many species they are of the chewing type, for example in grasshoppers and beetles. Others have sucking mouthparts for example shaped like stylets in bugs and aphids or shaped like a coiled tongue in butterflies and moths. The different types of mouthparts determine how the insect feeds.
Read also about the metamorphosis of insects.
See also: Spider body parts.
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