Mouthpart identification can for the most part,help scientistsand you categorize insects

2 years ago
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The chewing-lapping mouthpartis a combination of mandiblesand a proboscis with a tongue-like structure at its tipfor lapping up nectar.On this type of mouthpart,the mandibles themselves are not actually used for eating.For bees and wasps,members of the Hymenoptera order,they serve instead as tools for pollen-collecting and wax-molding.Of course, in nature, there are always exceptions to the rules.The juvenile stages of some insects, for example,have completely different kinds of mouths than their adult versions,like caterpillars, which use chewing mouthparts to devour leavesbefore metamorphosing intobutterflies and mothswith siphoning mouthparts.Still, mouthpart identification can, for the most part,help scientistsand you categorize insects.So why not break out a magnifying lensand learn a little more aboutwho’s nibbling your vegetable garden,biting your arm,or just flying by your ear.

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