Insects have different types of oral apparatus. Even in one species of arthropod, its type may change during the course of life when a stage of development changes. This is due to the need to switch to another food. So, the caterpillars feed on the pulp of the leaves and have a gnawing mouth apparatus. The mouthpart of the butterfly is intended only for the consumption of liquid food.
Types of oral apparatus
What are the types of insect mouthparts? Since the oral organs are evolutionarily formed by paired limbs of arthropods, there must be some restrictions on the structure of the mouth. However, we observe a wide variety of types of oral apparatus:
- Gnawing. It is considered the source. It has in structure all the initial parts of the oral apparatus of insects: both lips and two pairs of jaws. Caterpillars and grasshoppers possess such an apparatus.
- Tubular sucking. The oral apparatus is represented by a sucking proboscis. Some organs of the original apparatus are lost. Available only in Lepidoptera.
- Licking. This is an overgrown lower lip. The representative is a fly. She can eat only liquid foods.
- Piercing-sucking. This is also a proboscis, but it’s more complicated. Possess such a device mosquitoes, aphids.
- Gnawing, licking. Bees and bumblebees are able to get nectar from deep nectarines, all thanks to the modified lower jaws and lower lip.
- Cutting-sucking. The upper jaws are transformed into blades, which is observed in horseflies. They suck blood with the help of the lower lip, part of which has a spongy structure.
In addition to the above basic types, there are less common types of oral apparatus. Nature successfully experiments and forms a rich variety of organ modifications.
For example, in dragonfly larvae, the lower lip is very elongated and looks like a hand. She suddenly rushes forward and grabs the victim. Such an education is called the mask in science.
Larvae of midges that live in water feed on filtration. A fan-shaped organ allows you to retain microorganisms, which then enter the body of an insect. Such larvae have a filtering type of oral apparatus.
What is the mouthpart of butterflies?
Butterflies are gentle and beautiful creatures. We often see them sitting on flowers. To supply nectar, a tube-shaped apparatus is needed. These insects do not gnaw anything. The type of mouth apparatus in a butterfly is tubular sucking.
Device
The butterfly mouthpiece is simple but elegant. The proboscis is formed by highly elongated maxillae, i.e. the lower jaws. The mouthpart of the butterfly has both upper and lower lips. They are located, respectively, above and under the proboscis. The upper jaws - mandibles - in Lepidoptera, are reduced to tubercles or completely lost. During evolution, the palps of the lower lip are preserved. They consist of three segments and look like an extra short antennae.
Proboscis work
The mouthpart of a butterfly is a beautiful formation. Proboscis in a calm state tightly folded.
To feed the butterfly unfolds it and touches the tip of the proboscis in search of food, which previously felt paws. It is on the paws of this insect that the receptors responsible for taste are located.
Some butterflies feed on nectar of flowers. In this case, the proboscis length coincides with the length of the nectarines, on which they more often obtain food. The same types of Lepidoptera can, if possible, get enough of wood juice or fruit juice.
Most likely, they will like jam left by people, various sweets, fruits. There are lepidopteran species that feed on aphid excreta. Some species of adults do not eat at all. In such representatives, the proboscis is underdeveloped. For example, in the bagpipes.
Butterflies with gnawing mouthparts
However, not all butterflies have a sucking mouthpart. There are types of moles having a gnawing mouth apparatus. These representatives have developed upper jaws. Butterflies with a gnawing mouth apparatus belong to a separate suborder of the Gnawing. They are able to eat rough food. All other representatives belong to the Khobotkov suborder, they have a sucking mouth apparatus.
Thus, the sucking-type butterfly has the oral apparatus. The proboscis is very long, but so that such an education does not interfere, in a calm state they are folded into several rings. Proboscis elastic, flexible. It is formed by two lower jaws, each of which looks like a gutter.