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The Thorax

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IMMS’ General Textbook of Entomology

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Abstract

The thorax is composed of three segments, the pro-, meso- and metathorax. In almost all insects each segment bears a pair of legs and in most adults both the meso- and metathorax carry a pair of wings. Where the legs are wanting, their absence is secondary. This apodous condition is extremely rare among the imagines but it is the rule among the larvae of the Diptera and certain families of Coleoptera. All Hymenopteran larvae, excepting the vast majority of the suborder Symphyta, are similarly devoid of legs. The absence of wings, on the other hand, may be a primitive character as in the Apterygota, but among the Pterygota it is always a secondary feature due to the loss of pre-existing organs. The thorax is exhibited in a simple form in the Thysanura, in certain more generalized Pterygota and in the larvae of many orders. In these instances the segments differ little in size and proportions, but with the acquisition of wings a correlated specialization of the thorax usually results. The meso- and metathorax become more or less intimately associated to form a pterothorax and the union is often so close that the limits of those regions can only be ascertained with difficulty. In orders where the wings are of about equal area these two thoracic segments are of equal size e.g. Isoptera, Embioptera, Odonata.

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  1. Imperial College, University of London, UK

    O. W. Richards M.A., D.Sc., F.R.S. (Emeritus Professor of Zoology and Applied Entomology) & R. G. Davies M.Sc. (Reader in Entomology)

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Richards, O.W., Davies, R.G. (1977). The Thorax. In: IMMS’ General Textbook of Entomology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-6514-3_5

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