Parts of an Insect (Grasshopper)
Head: The anterior part of an insect body with eyes, antennae, and mouthparts.
Thorax: The body section after the head, with the legs and wings attached. There are three sections of the thorax: the prothorax, the mesothorax, and the metathorax.
Abdomen: The posterior section of the body containing the reproductive and digestive organs.
Spiracles: Breathing pores.
Coxa: The section of a leg that is attached to the body.
Trochanter: The second segment of a leg, between the coxa and the femur.
Femur: The third segment of a leg, between the trochanter and the tibia. (Grasshoppers and other jumping insects have enlarged hind femora with powerful muscles).
Tibia: The fourth segment of a leg, between the femur and the tarsus.
Tarsus: The leg segment after the tibia, often subdivided into several sections.
Genitalia: The sexual organs.
Wings: Outgrowths of the body wall that enable insects to fly. The first pair of wings is sometimes modified into a protective covering for the hind wings.
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More About This Resource...
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This illustrated guide to a grasshopper is designed to help students recognize and learn the body parts of an insect. The single Web page, which can be easily printed for use at field sites or in the lab, also includes a short description for the following labeled parts:
- head
- thorax
- antenna
- abdomen
- spiracles
- coxa
- trochanter
- femur
- tibia
- tarsus
- genitalia
- wings
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Completion Time
Less than 1 period
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Teacher Tip
Supplement a study of biodiversity with an activity drawn from this illustrated guide to a grasshopper.
- Distribute copies of Parts of an Insect (Grasshopper) to students.
- Divide the class into small groups, assigning an insect other than a grasshopper to each group.
- Using the grasshopper guide as a reference, have the students examine their specimens and then create a poster-sized illustration of each that labels the insect's individual parts.
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Topic
Biology -
Subtopic
Animals
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