Lecture No.

4
Structure of insect head, thorax and abdomen-their functions
Insect body is differentiated into three distinct regions called head, thorax and
abdomen. Grouping of body segments into distinct regions is known as tagmosis and
the body regions are called tagmata.
1. Head (sensory and feeding centre)
Head is the first anterior tagma formed by the fusion of six segments namely
preantennary, antennary, intercalary, mandibular, maxillary and labial segments.
Head is attached or articulated to the thorax through neck or cervix, strengthened by
small sclerite called cervical sclerites. The head capsule excluding appendages
formed by the fusion of several sclerites is known as cranium.
Endoskeleton of head provides space for attachment of muscles of antenna and
mouthparts, called as tentorium. The appendages like a pair of compound eyes, 0-3
ocelli (simple eyes accompanying compound eyes), a pair of antenna and mouth parts
are called as cephalic appendages.
Sclerites of Head
i. Vertex: Dorsal portion of cranium and summit of the head between
compound eyes.
ii. Frons: Facial area below the vertex and above clypeus.
iii. Clypeus: Cranial area below the frons to which labrum is attached.
iv. Gena: Lateral cranial area behind the compound eyes.
v. Occiput : Cranial area between occipital and post occipital suture.
vi. Gula: An extra sclerite in coleoptera in the ventral side.
Sutures of Head
The linear invaginations of the exoskeleton between two sclerites are called as
suture (some times referred as sulcus).
i. Epicranial suture/ ecdysial line: Inverted `Y' shaped suture found medially
on the top of head, with a median suture (coronal suture) and lateral sutures (frontal
suture).
ii. Fronto genal suture: Found between frons and gena.
iii. Epistomal suture/ Fronto clypeal suture: Found between frons and
clypeus. (epi above; stoma- mouth parts)
iv. Clypeo-labral suture: Found between clypeus and labrum (upper lip).

v. Clypeo-genal suture: Found between clypeus and gena.

vi. Postoccipital suture: Groove bordering occipital foramen. Line indicating
the fusion of maxillary and labial segment.
Posterior opening of the cranium through which aorta, foregut, ventral nerve
cord and neck muscles passes is known as occipital foramen.

Vertex
Coronal suture
Antenna
Compound eye
Frontal suture
Suboccular suture
Gena
Frons
Anterior tentorial pit
Subgenal suture
Epistomal suture
Clypeus
Labrum
Mandible

Types of head

There are three types of head based on inclination of long axis of head to rest
of body and orientation of mouth parts.
Hypognathous head
(hypo-below; gnathous-jaw)
It is also called orthopteroid type of head. Long axis of head is vertical. It is at
right angles to the long axis of the body. Mouth parts are ventrally place and
projecting downwards. Eg. Grasshopper.
Prognathous head
(pro-infront; gnathous-jaw )
It is coleopteroid type of head. Long axis of head is horizontal. It is line with
the long axis of the body. Mouth parts are directed forward. Eg. Beetles.
Opisthognathous head
(opistho-behind; gnathous-jaw)
It is hemipteroid type of head. Head in deflexed. Mouth parts are directed
backwards and held in between legs. Eg. Bugs.

Hypognathous

Prognathous

(Grasshopper)

(Beetle)

Functions of Head
i. Food ingestion.
ii. Sensory perception.
iii. Coordination of bodily activities.
iv. Protection of the coordinating centers.

2. Thorax (Locomotory centre)

Opisthognathous

(Bugs)

Second and middle tagma which is three segmented, namely prothorax,

mesothorax and metathorax. Meso and metathorax which bear wings are called as
Pterothorax. Legs are present in pro, meso and meta thorax.Thoracic segments are
made up of three sclerites namely, dorsal body plate tergum or nota, ventral body
plate sternum and lateral plate pleuron.
Thoracic nota: Dorsal body plate of each thoracic segments are called as
pronotum, mesonotum and metanotum respectively.
Pronotum: This sclerite is undivided and saddle shaped in grasshopper
and shield like in cockroach.
Pterothoracic notum: Have 3 transverse sutures (antecostal, prescutal and
scuto-scutellar) and 5 tergites (acrotergite, prescutum, scutum, scutellum and postscutellum).
Thoracic sterna: Vental body plate of each thoracic segments are called as
prosternum, mesosternum and metasternum. Thoracic sterna is made up of a
segmental plate called eusternum and an intersternite called spinasternum.
Eusternum is made up of three sternites viz., presternum, basisternum and
sternellum.
Thoracic pleura: Lateral body wall of thoracic segment between notum and
sternum. Selerites of pleuron is called as pleurite and they fuse to form pleural
plate. Pleural plate is divided into anterior episternum (propleuron) and
posterior epimeron (pteropleuron) by pleural suture. Pterothoracic pleuron
provides space for articulation of wings and legs. A small sclerite called
trochantin, act as point of articulation of coxa (leg). Dorsally the pleural wing
process serve as articulation point for wings. Two small sclerties, one anterior
(basalar) and one posterior (subalar) to the pleural wing process are
important in wing movements.
Thoracic appendages are three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings. Two
pairs of spiracles are also present in the mesopleuron and metapleuron.
Functions of thorax
Mainly concerned with locomotion(movement).
3. Abdomen (Reproductive centre)
Third and posterior tagma of insect body. This tagma is made up of 9-11
uromeres (segments) and is highly flexible. Abdominal segments are telescopic in
nature and are interconnected by a membrane called conjunctiva. Each abdominal

segment is made up of only two sclerites namely dorsal body plate (tergum) and
ventral body plate (sternum). There is no pleuron in abdomen. Eight pairs of spiracles
are present in the first eight segments. In grass hopper a pair of tympanum is present
in the first segment. Eight and ninth abdominal segments bears the female genital
structure and ninth segment bears male genital structure. Abdominal appendages in
adult insects are genital organs and cerci.

Modifications
Many insects have reduced number of abdominal segments.
Eg. Spring tail have only six segments.
Housefly 2-5 segments are visible and 6-9 are telescopic within
others called pseudo-ovipositor or oviscaptor or ovitubus or retractile tube.
In ants, bees and wasps first abdominal segment is fused with metathorax
called propodeum, second segment is called narrow waist or petiole and rest
of the segment is called gaster.
In queen termite after mating the abdomen become swollen due to
enlargement of ovaries. This condition is called obesity or physogastry.
Abdominal appendages
Appendages in wingless insects
1. Styli: Paired tube like out growth on the ventral side of the abdomen.
Eg. Silverfish
2. Collophore or ventral tube or glue peg: Located on the ventral side of the
first abdominal segment of springtail, aids in water adsorption from the
substratum , helps in respiration and also organ of adhesion. Eg.Spring tail
3. Retinaculum or tenaculum or catch: Present on the ventral side of the third
abdominal segment of springtail, used to hold the springing organ when not in
use. Eg.Spring tail
4. Springing organ or furcula or furca: It is Y shaped organ, present on the
fourth abdominal segment of the springtail. When released from catch, it
exerts a force against the substratum and the insect is propelled in the air.
Eg.Spring tail
Appendages in larvae
1. Tracheal gills: Gills are lateral outgrowths of body wall, richly supplied

with tracheae to obtain oxygen from water.

Eg. Seven pairs of filamentous gill present first seven abdominal segments
in naiad of mayfly.
Leaf like (lamellate) gills are present at abdominal end of naiad of
damselfly.
2. Anal papillae: Papillae are concerned with salt regulation.

Eg. Group of four papillae surrounds the anus in mosquito larvae.

3. Dolichasters: It is a segmental protuberance fringed with setae.

Eg. Antlion grub.

4. Prolegs: Present in the larvae of moths, butterflies and sawflies. Normally

two to five pairs are present in moths and butterflies. The tip of the proleg is
called planta having sclerotized hooks called crochets. Crochets absent in
larval prolegs of sawfly, which has 8-10 pairs of prolegs.
Abdominal appendages in winged adults
1. Cornicles: A pair of short tubes called cornicles or siphonculi present on the
dorsum of fifth or sixth abdominal segment.
Eg. Aphids.
2. Caudal breathing tube: It is a hollow tube present at the apex of abdomen.
Eg. Water scorpion
3. Cerci: Normally found on the eleventh abdominal segment used for sensory
in function.
Long and many segmented Eg. Mayfly
Long and unsegmented Eg. Cricket
Short and many segmented Eg. Cockroach
Short and unsegmented Eg. Grasshopper
Sclerotized and forceps like Eg. Earwig (used for defense, capture
the prey, unfolding wings and courtship)
Asymmetrical cerci Eg. Male embiid (left cerci longer than right
used as clasping organ during copulation)
4. Median caudal filament: In mayfly and silverfish the epiproct is elongated
into a cercus like median caudal filament.
5. Pygostyles: A pair of short, unsegmented cerci found on the last abdominal
segment scoliid wasps.
6. Anal styli: A pair of short, unsegmented structure found at the end of the
abdomen of male cockroach.
7. Ovipositor: Egg laying organ of female insect is called ovipositor. It varied
with the egg laying habit of the insects.
Eg. Short and horny Short horned grasshopper
Long and sword like Long horned grasshopper
Needle like Cricket

Ovipositor modified into sting Worker and queen honeybees.

8. Male genitalia: External sexual organs of male insects are confined to 9th
abdominal segment. In damselfly and dragonfly functional copulatory organ
is present on the venter of second abdominal segment.
Function
Concerned with reproduction and metabolism.