![]() ![]() The key to how we break up insect’s bodies lies in what each segment does. You really do need to be an entomologist sometimes to know where one bit starts and the other bit ends. Some insects, like beetles, have very prominent subsections to these bodyparts, like the pronotum, which is a part of the thorax.Īdditionally, the individual parts of the abdomen and thorax can have their own segments that seem to run into one another with no clear delineation, making it look like one long piece. However, these aren’t always as easy to tell apart as you’d think. ![]() Insects have three body segments the head, thorax and abdomen. However, it’s interesting to look at the caterpillar alongside the adult butterfly or moth to see how many of the rules it follows. Most entomologists (insect scientists) agree that the juvenile stage of many insects is very different. Generally, it is the adult form that must follow our insect rules for something to be considered an insect. Though most agree that this is not the case, it’s certainly an exciting idea. We all know that a fat little caterpillar becomes a beautiful butterfly, or indeed a moth, but these stages are so different that some scientists have proposed that they are in fact separate species that have fused. At the same time, molluscs like slugs and snails have no exoskeleton and no legs.Īlso read: How Big Can a Garden Spider Get? (Female vs. Myriapods like centipedes have many more legs and segments. ![]() They also have that vital exoskeleton that all arthropods have.īy comparison, spiders cannot be insects as they have eight legs and only two segments in their bodies, as their head and thorax have fused. They also have three pairs of segmented legs and a set of antennae. Firstly insects have three segments to their body a head, thorax and abdomen. What defines an animal as being in the group known as Insecta is several key characteristics. Crustaceans such as lobsters and crabs are also arthropods, as are spiders, but none of these are insects. An insect is a type of arthropod, meaning an animal with a segmented body and an exoskeleton. ![]()
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