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Haltere of a
Crane Fly
The hindwings of the Diptera have been extensively modified into sensory structures that function like gyroscopes to provide information about the insect's flight. These paired organs oscillate rapidly with the forewings and inform the insect about the speed and direction of flight, and help it to maintain flight stability. Halteres are also present in the males of the small order, Strepsiptera, in which they evolved from the forewings rather than the hindwings.
Butterfly Wing Scales
The scales on the wings of the Lepidoptera serve many functions. Scales insulate the wings to help with thermoregulation. The scales are often coloured either for camouflage, or to attract and identify potential mates. The colouration can also serve to startle predators when the wings open to reveal bright colours underneath. Some scales are modified to release pheromones that attract a mate. Scales may have originally evolved as a defense against predators, since lepidopterans can shed their scales to escape predators, such as a spider's web. Scales may also smooth airflow around the wing to make flight more efficient.
Beetle Elytra
The elytra are sclerotized forewings found in all members of the order Coleoptera. A beetle's elytra serve to protect the abdomen, which houses many crucial organs, as well as to protect the delicate hindwings that power flight. In some beetle species, the elytra may be darkly coloured to absorb heat for thermoregulation, while in others they can be coloured and shaped in a way that blends the beetle into its surroundings.
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Mole cricket foreleg
The fossorial legs of mole crickets are adapted for digging burrows in the ground. Fossorial legs often have reduced tarsi, and tibia with strengthened spines that work like shovels, allowing the insects to scrape dirt without injuring their legs. Other insects like cicada nymphs and many of the scarab beetles also have fossorial legs, though overall they are less common than the other leg types.
Leg of a Backswimmer (Hemiptera)
The natatorial legs of many aquatic insects are modified to function like oars that enable these insects to swim at great speeds. Many aquatic members of the Hemiptera and Coleoptera exhibit this type of leg modification.
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Tarsus of a
Long-horned Beetle
The tarsi of most insects have a long pair of claws that enable them to firmly grasp and hold onto plants, substrates, and even onto mates during copulation. In some insects, the tarsi are also equipped with pads covered in fine hairs that help the insects grip onto smooth surfaces (not shown in image above)
Hind Legs of a Grasshopper
The saltatorial hind legs found in most members of the Orthoptera are adapted for jumping. The enlarged femurs of the hind legs house powerful jumping muscles that quickly propel the insects long distances. When the muscles contract, a special piece of cuticle within the “knee” acts as a spring to store potential energy. When the muscles relax, the spring releases its energy, the legs extend, and the insect catapults into the air. In most insects that use saltatorial locomotion, such as fleas and leafhoppers, the hind legs are the ones modified to provide power for the jump.
Forelegs of a Mantis
Mantises have raptorial forelegs for capturing and grasping prey. In mantises, the legs each have a large femur and tibia covered in spines that impale and grip prey. Insects with raptorial forelegs, such as giant water bugs and mantisflies, hold their hunting legs in front of their bodies, positioned to strike prey.