BODY PARTS OF AN
INSECT
The main visible parts on the head are the large compound
eyes, the antenna (feelers), and the mouthparts. On the grasshopper, the
antennae are long and thread-like. Grasshoppers have chewing-type mouthparts,
but other insects may have sucking, rasping, or undeveloped mouthparts.
The thorax is the middle region of the body, and it bears the legs and wings--if
wings are present. The front wing is long, narrow and somewhat leathery on the
grasshopper. The hind wing is membranous and folds like a fan under the front
wing when the grass hopper is not flying.Almost all insects have a pronotum
covering the top of the first segment of the thorax, but it is usually not as
big as on a grasshopper. On the grasshopper it looks like a saddle behind the
head. Near the base of the middle leg, there is a small breathing hole called
the thoracic spiracle. Insects breathe through spiracles and not through their
mouths.The legs of different insects are adapted to do different things. The
legs of some insects are adapted for swimming, burrowing, jumping, or grasping.
The grasshoppers legs are made for jumping.
The abdomen does not have many outstanding features on most
insects. It just looks like a series of similar-looking segments. On some
grasshoppers, there is a large round disc on the first segment next to the
thorax. It is called a tympanum and is the grasshopper's ear. If you look
closely at the other abdominal segments, you can find a pin-hole on the side of
each segment. They are abdominal spiracles and are also used for breathing just
like the spiracle on the thorax.
Grasshopper
Other Examples:
1) Beetle
2) Bees
