Front View of an Insect (Grasshopper) Head

Part of the Biodiversity Counts Curriculum Collection.

Did you know grasshoppers have two different types of eyes, or that they smell the world with their antennae? Zoom in on this arthropod's fascinating features.
grasshoper_head

Ocellus: Tiny simple eye that detects differences in light intensity.
Compound eye: Large faceted eye. 
Antenna: Segmented appendage attached to the head above the mouthparts, with important sensory functions, including touch, smell, and in some cases hearing. 
Gena: The sides of the head below the compound eyes. 
Frons: The front part of the head between the compound eyes and the mouthparts. 
Clypeus: A part of the head in between the frons and the labrum.

Line drawing of grasshopper mandibles.

Mandible:  The part of the jaw used for chewing.

Labrum

Labrum: The lower jaw.

Line drawing of sections of a grasshopper head shows two Maxillae (for grasping). Each has a long thin appendage, a palp.

Palps: Segmented structures that extend from the maxillae and labium.