Mandible is the jaw of insects?

Mandible is the upper jaw of arthropods. This part of the oral apparatus consists of a pair of identical elements. Most insects, as well as millipedes and crustaceans of the mandible, exist for grinding food. However, social insects have another function of this element - the construction of nests.

Origin

The mandible is the same as the mandibles. It represents the limbs of the head segments, which in the course of evolution have significantly changed. There is a suggestion that these are transformed coke-pods and endites. Once upon a time they were supplied with ancient crustaceans.

The mandibles are hard, sclera-covered segments, on which are located brushes and a variety of teeth. It seems that they are on the upper lip.

All representatives of the latent-jaw have a peculiarity of the structure of the mandibles. They are attached only at one point to the head. The sides of their oral cavity reliably fused with the lower lip (lateral part of it). Accordingly, pockets are formed. In them, and placed jaws: both the lower and upper. It is because of this feature that the whole class was called "latent-jawed".

In winged insects and bristle tails, in addition to this lateral point of articulation, there is one more. Due to this, they have the opportunity to make powerful close and spreading movements with mandibles.

All the insects that have mandibles, from the places of their articulation, go off the tendons. It is necessary to attach the muscles that control these mandibles.

Functional features

The mandible in insects may differ depending on the type of mouthpiece. Accordingly, you can see the mandibles completely different in function, shape and even size.

Thus, in coleopterans, hymenoptera, and orthopterans, the mandibles are very large. After all, they are necessary in order to grind, tear and hold food.

In flies, for example, licking type of mouthpiece. Therefore, the mandibles are simply reduced. A bees are characterized by a gnawing-licking variant of the oral apparatus. Accordingly, they have mandibles though they are, but they are greatly reduced, in addition, they have lost the tooth.

The beetles

The largest mandibles in the coleoptera, as in the beetle deer, are prominent horns, which are additionally branched. At the beetle beetle these jaws are incredibly strong. In many ways, the shape and development of mandibles depends on what kind of fodder specialization this or that beetle has.

In beetles, for example, the upper jaws are long. With their help, you can easily get a snail directly from the sink.

Bees, ants and wasps

For the hymenoptera, the mandibles are the chewing upper jaws, which resemble their primitive type. They use them for:

• Killing the prey.
• Digging the mink.
• Cuttings of plants.
• Creating a nest.
• Keeping your food.

In this case, the lower jaws have a licking type and are called to collect nectar.

In Diptera and Lepidoptera

Dipterous mandibles markedly changed. So, in mosquitoes and some flies that suck blood, mandibles are styletas. With their help, the insect pierces the skin. But the housefly completely lost its upper jaw. After all, her mouthpiece is needed, only to consume liquid food.

All caterpillars, lepidopterans have mandibles, which have a gnawing type. True, only toothed moths keep them in their adult state. Many butterflies lost their mandibles. It turns into a small sucking proboscis to absorb sweet nectar.

The mandible is in the jaw insects, which are located on top. All these mandibles are different, depending on their purpose.