Generalized insect head:

Anterior aspect

VERTEX

coronal suture
ocular suture
compound eye
dorsal ocellus

antennal suture
subocular suture

antenna
frontal suture
GENA

FRONS
clypeus
anterior tentorial pit
mandible
labrum subgenal suture
epistomal suture

Suture lines: lines of weakness associated with molting

flexible region as in
wing hinge of
Schistocerca (locust)

flexible region
as in wing base epicuticle
of Lepidoptera exocuticle
endocuticle
flexible region
epidermis
lacking exocuticle
(membrane) fibrous protein
resilin plus chitin lamellae

pure resilin
wedge of partially
sclerotized “mesocuticle”

ecdysial cleavage
line or suture (lacks
exocuticle)

1
 Generalized insect head:
Posterior aspect

VERTEX coronal suture

occipital suture
compound eye OCCIPUT (occipital area)

postoccipital suture
ocular suture
remnants of head somites?
GENA
cervix (neck)

foramen magnum

mouthpart region
(mouthparts removed)

Generalized insect head: cockroach (Dictyoptera: s.o. Blattodea)

Blattodea

2
 Head articulations and muscles

extrinsic
muscles
condyles
condyles

extrinsic Antenna – Mandible –

muscle monocondylar dicondylar
condyle
(monocondylic) (dicondylic)
condyle
(antennifer)

tentorium
adductor (flexor) muscle

abductor (extensor) muscle

Md
point of articulation
(condyle)

(sagittal plane)

Head shape I: the effect of Muscles (a proctotrupoid

parasite of wood-
[Note sexual & caste dimorphism] boring beetle larvae)
vertex
Mandible
tentorium
muscles
sclerotized,
flattened “tendon”
exodont mandibles
brain

Soldier ant – Vanhornia larva –

huge adductors huge abductors
Atta

clypeus

cibarium “soldier”

clypeus
sucking
mouthparts
Pharyngeal/cibarial
labrum
pump muscles clypeus

Cicadidae Thysanoptera (thrips)

3
 Head shape II: Compound eyes

Stemmata and Dorsal Ocelli

Lateral ocelli
(stemmata) Dorsal ocellus Dorsal ocelli

larva of Lepidoptera adult (or nymph) of Cicadidae

(Holometabola/ (Hemimetabola/Exopterygota:
Endopterygota) Hemiptera)

Head shape:
Extreme effect of eyes
antenna

Odonata
(s.o. Anisoptera) antenna
Diptera (a)

antennae (also sexually dimorphic)

antenna

Neuroptera Diptera (b)

(Ascalaphidae)

Diopsidae
(Diptera – a)
Aeschnidae
(Odonata)

4
 Other modifications of the compound eye
Odonata

male Strepsiptera
Thysanoptera

Gyrinidae
(Coleoptera)

water male
male
surface Ephemeroptera
Ephemerida

Ascalaphidae (Neuroptera) Sexual

dimorphism:
Ascalaphidae
(Neuroptera)
Male
and female
Drosophila
(Diptera)

Simple eyes:
Stemmata and Dorsal Ocelli
Stemmata and Dorsal Ocelli
Lateral ocelli
(stemmata) Dorsal ocellus Dorsal ocelli

larva of Lepidoptera adult (or nymph) of Cicadidae

(Holometabola/ (Hemimetabola/Exopterygota:
Endopterygota) Hemiptera)

• Dorsal ocelli are commonly lost (even whole orders).

• Compound eyes usually retained, but lost in cavernicolous species.

5
 Structure of the Antenna
nerve fibers
Johnston’s Organ

antennal suture
socket FLAGELLUM
PEDICEL
(with annuli
antennifer separating the
SCAPE antennomeres)

intrinsic muscle
nerve bundle
extrinsic muscle

OR:

antennifer

Lost in some endoparasites

(Strepsiptera females)
Culicidae and ectoparasites (plant
(Diptera)
lice: Sternorrhyncha) scale insect (Coccidae)

Modifications of the antennae:

filiform
moniliform
setaceous
clavate

capitate

lamellate
serrate
pectinate
flabellate

pedicel geniculate plumose (pedicel with

Johnston’s
Organ)
pedicel

aristate • tactation (touch)

• mechanoreception (vibration
pedicel stylate & sound, e.g. mosquitoes)
• chemoreception (e.g. moths)
• prehension (sexual selection)

6
pectinate (Lepidoptera) aristate
(muscoid Diptera)

geniculate (Formicidae)

Modifications
of the antennae

flabellate (Coleoptera)

clavate
(Lepidoptera)

1 2 34 5 6 7
I
‘Trignathous’ II III

insect mouthparts

procephalon
plus somite 1 2 3 4

5 6 7
--- THORAX ---
I II III

procephalon
plus somites 1, 2, 3
4
5 6 7
I II III
postoccipital
suture

labrum
mandible (2) labium (4)

maxilla (3)

7
 Trignathous mouthparts:

Back view Lateral view

pharynx
salivary duct

labium mouth salivarium

maxilla cibarium labium
clypeus hypopharynx
mandible
preoral
labrum cavity
labrum
clypeus abductor and
LABRUM adductor muscles
MANDIBLE
molar area
point of
articulation
incisor area
MAXILLA
cardo
LABIUM Note ‘serial
stipes
palpifer homology’ of
maxilla and labium
submentum
postmentum
lacinia
mentum
galea labial palp
prementum
maxillary palp glossa
paraglossa
HYPOPHARYNX

suspensory sclerite

lingual sclerite