MOUTHPARTS
B. MANDIBLE (Primary Jaws or True jaws)
TWO CATEGORIES OF Mandibles articulate with the cranium at
MOUTH TYPE two points.
1. chewing They are heavily sclerotized.
(mandibulate) They are toothed on their inner border.
2. sucking
(haustellate). There are two types of teeth:
Distal are sharply pointed and are called incisor or cutting
teeth Proximal teeth are called molar or grinding teeth. They
act transversely to bite and grind the food into small fragments.
1. Mandibulate mouthparts, are believed to be the most C. MAXILLAE (secondary jaws or accessory jaws)
primitive. All others, including those categorized as They are paired and more complicated
haustellate, are presumed to have evolved as than mandibles.
modifications of this basic type. cardo joins the maxilla to head
The five primary parts of the insect "mouth" are: stipes which articulates with cardo.
The clypeus It carries a lateral sclerite called
The "upper lip", or labrum palpifer
Two "jaw-like structures", or mandibles palpifer which bears a five segmented antenna like
The maxillae (sing. maxilla) maxillary palp.
The "lower lip", or labium Galea--The outer lobe
The maxillae and labium are divided into various Lacinia-toothed, the inner lobe
substructures, which include the galea, paraglossa, glossa, Maxillae direct the food into the mouth. They hold the food
and the maxillary and labial palps in place when the mandibles are in action. They act as
auxillary jaws and assist in mastication of food.
2. Haustellate mouthparts are primarily used for "sucking Sense organs connected with the perception of touch, smell
up" liquids and can be broken down into two subgroups: and taste are abundantly found in palpi.
those that possess stylets and those that do not.
D. HYPOPHARYNX
Stylets are needle-like projections used to penetrate plant and It is a tongue like organ.
animal tissue. It is located centrally in the preoral cavity.
Examples of insects with stylets include Hemiptera (true Salivary gland duct opens through it.
bugs), Diptera (flies), and Siphonaptera (fleas).
E. LABIUM
Some haustellate mouthparts lack stylets. One example It is a composite structure formed by the
of nonstylate mouthparts is the long siphoning fusion of two primitive segmented
proboscis of butterflies and moths (Order appendages.
Lepidoptera). It bounds the mouth cavity from below or
behind. It forms the base of the preoral
cavity.
It consists of three median sclerites:
submentum (large basal sclerite)
mentum (middle sclerite)
prementum (apical sclerite).
On the lateral side of the prementum there are two small lateral
sclerites called palpiger bearing three segmented labial palpi.
Distally prementum bears two pairs of lobes.
The other pair of lobes is called paraglossae and inner pair of
lobes, glossae.
Both paraglossae and glossae when fused are called ligula.
TYPES OF INSECT MOUTH
1. BITING AND CHEWING TYPE
2. PIERCING AND SUCKING (hemipterous/bug type)
It is the primitive type of mouth part and consists of the
Labium projects downwards from the
following parts.
anterior part of the head like a beak.
-Labrum -Maxillae -Labium
Beak is four segmented and grooved
-Mandibles -Hypopharynx
throughout its entire length.
A. LABRUM (Upper lip) At the base of the labium there is a
triangular flap like structure called
It is flap like, bilobed and attached to
labrum. Labrum is neither involved in
the clypeus by an articular membrane.
piercing nor sucking. It functions as a protective covering
It is movable.
for the four stylets (fascicle) found with in the groove.
It covers the mouth cavity from above.
Both mandibles and maxillae are modified into long
It helps to pull the food into the mouth. slender sclerotized hair like structure called stylets.
It holds the food in position so that mandibles can act on it. Stylets- long slender sclerotized hair like structure, they
It forms the roof of the pre oral food cavity. are lying close together and suited for piercing and
sucking. The tips of the stylets may have minute teeth for
piercing the plant tissue. The inner maxillary stylets are The proboscis is fleshy, elbowed, retractile and projects
doubly grooved on their inner faces. downwards from head. The proboscis can be differentiated
into basal rostrum and distal haustellum. The proboscis
consists of labium which is grooved on its anterior surface.
two canals: Within this groove lie the labrum-epiphraynx (enclosing the
(1.) food canal and (2.) salivary canal through sap and saliva food canal) and slender hypopharynx (containing the salivary
are conducted respectively. canal). Mandibles are absent. Maxillae are represented by
Saliva contains enzymes or toxins that can distort plant cell single segmented maxillary palpi.
wall to permit the stylets to penetrate down and reach phloem The end of the proboscis is enlarged, sponge like and two
for sucking the sap. lobed which acts as suction pads. They are called oral discs
or labella.
3. PIERCING AND SUCKING The surfaces of labella are transferred by capillary canals
Dipterous/mosquito type called pseudotracheae which collect the liquid food and
Mouthparts of female mosquito convey it to the canal.
consists of an elongate Labella function as sponging organs and are capable of
labium which is grooved taking exposed fluids.
forming Sponging insects often spit enzyme containing saliva onto solid
a gutter which encloses foods to liquify them.
six stylets.
Stylets are composed of 8. SIPHONING
- labrum-epipharynx (enclosing the food canal), Mouth parts consists of elongate sucking
- the hypopharynx (containing the salivary canal) tube or proboscis.
- two maxillae and two mandibles. It is formed by two greatly elongated
Both the ends of maxillary stylets and mandibular stylets are galeae of maxillae which are zippered
saw like and suited piercing flesh. together by interlocking spines and hooks.
The stylets are inserted into host's skin by a strong downward Galeae are grooved on their inner surface
and forward thrust of body. and when they are fitting together closely,
male mosquitos-feed on plant nectar & juices of decaying they form a suctorial food canal through
fruits. which the nectar is sucked up.
Female mosquitos-pierces the skin of human beings into
which it injects saliva containing an anticoagulant and an The proboscis is coiled up like watch
anesthetic and sucks up the blood. spring and kept beneath the head when it is not in use.
anticoagulant-to keep the blood flowing without clotting By pumping of blood into galeae, the proboscis is extended.
anesthetic-to keep the victim unaware of the bite. The other mouth parts are reduced or absent except the labial
Labium does not pierce but folds up or back as stylets pierce. palpi and smaller maxillary palpi.
Maxillary palpi are present.
RECAP…
4. CHEWING AND LAPPING
Labrum and mandibles are biting and chewing type of MOUTH PARTS
mouth parts. But mandibles are blunt and not toothed. They 1. Labrum (upper lip)
are useful to crush and shape wax for comb building; ingest 2. Mandibles (primary jaw or true jaw)
pollen grains and other manipulative functions. 3. Maxillae (secondary jaw or accessory jaw)
Maxillolabial structures are modified to form the 4. Hypopharynx
lapping tongue. 5. Labium (lower lip)
The tongue unit consists of
-two galea of maxillae, MOUTH TYPES
-two labial palpi and 1. Biting and chewing type
-elongated flexible hairy glossa of labium. 2. Piercing and sucking (hemipterous/bug type)
The glossa terminates into a small circular spoon 3. Piercing and sucking (dipterous/mosquito type)
shaped lobe called spoon or bouton or flabellum which is 4. Chewing and lapping
useful to lick the nectar. 5. Rasping and sucking
6. Mandibulosuctorial
5. RASPING AND SUCKING 7. Sponging
The mouth cone consist of labrum, labium and maxillae. 8. Siphoning
There are three stylets derived from two maxillae and left
mandible.
Right mandible is absent. The stylets are useful to
lacerate the plant tissue and the oozing sap is sucked up
by the mouth cone. Both maxillary palpi and labial palpi
are present.
6. MANDIBULOSUCTORIAL
Mandibles are elongate sickle shaped and grooved on
the inner surface. Each maxilla is elongated and fits
against the mandibular groove to from a closed food
canal. The body of the insect victim is pierced by the
opposing mandibles and fluids are extracted.
7. SPONGING
