Anatomical Terms for Lepidoptera

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Abdomen: The most posterior of the three major portions of an insects body (the others: head and thorax). Abdomen contains a portion of the digestive tract, the "heart", osmoregulatory apparatus, some of the respiratory system (see spiracles) and reproductive structures (see next entry). Aedeagus: The male organ for delivering sperm during copulationfunctionally acting as a penis. Anal angle: The point of a wing that is between the outer margin and the inner margin; where the outer and inner margins converge. Androconial organs: Regions on the adult male body that releasepheromones used in courtship activities. These regions sometimes consist of modified wing scales in distinct patches (androconial patches). In some moths, the organ consists of inflatable tubes at the tip of the abdomen. Antenna: One of a pair of modified head appendages serving to sense the environment. Antennae are especially important for adult Lepidoptera that must recognize pheromones emitted from potential matesspecialized regions are exquisitely sensitive to molecules of pheromone contacting them. Adult antennal shape is one of the identification clues used by taxonomists. Apex: The point of a wing that is between the costal margin and theouter margin; where the costal and outer margins converge; in other words, the tip of the wing. Appendages: Extensions of an insects body, usually occurring in pairs. Although the legs and wings are the most conspicuous appendages, several other body parts can also be considered as modified appendages: antennae, mouth parts, genitalic apparatus, etc. Bursa copulatrix: The sac in the female reproductive tract into which a spermatophore is deposited during copulation. Cell: A portion of each wing that is relatively devoid of veins, although entirely surrounded by veins. The large cell located from the wings base to near the center of the wing is called the discal cell. Compound eyes: The prominent areas on the left and right sides of the adult head, used for vision. Each such area is composed of hundreds of lens systems (called ommatidia), individually providing the nervous system with information about the light hitting it. Costa: The most anterior (leading) edge of a wing. Also called costal margin. Coxa: The portion of an adult leg that is closest to the body.

Cremaster: A group of tiny hooked setae at the abdominal tip of somepupae. They serve to provide attachment to the inside of a cocoon or to some surface. Crochets: hook-like devices at the tips of a caterpillars prolegs, enabling the animal to adhere tightly to a substrate such as a leaf. The pattern of crochets on a proleg is sometimes used as a clue in identifying caterpillars. Cuticle: The outermost surface of an insect. It is composed mostly of a complex mix of proteins and polysaccharides. Dash: A narrow, short line of dark pigmentation on a wing of some moth species. It is aligned on an axis from the base of the wing toward the outer margin. Discal cell: See cell. Exoskeleton: A skeleton is the rigid structure to which muscles are attached. An exoskeleton is formed on the outside of an animal, rather internally. The exoskeleton of insects is identical to theircuticle. All insects, indeed all Arthropods, possess an exoskeleton. Femur: The portion of an adult leg that is between the coxa and the tibia. It is distal to the coxa. Forewings: The anterior pair of wings. Frenulum: One or more short spines projecting anteriorly from eachhindwing of a moth, at the wings base. The frenulum acts like a hook, attaching to a small structure on the under-surface of theforewing. This velcro pair of structures acts to hold both wings together, producing a more coordinated flight structure. Most moth species this feature; nearly all butterflies lack it. Genitalia: The reproductive structures, both internally and externally. Haustellum: See proboscis. Head: The most anterior of the three major portions of an insects body (the others: thorax and abdomen). The head contains mouthparts, sensory apparati (such as eyes and the antennae), and the small brain. Hemolymph: The typically yellowish colored fluid that carries nutrients (though not oxygen) around the body of the butterfly; the lepidopteran version of "blood". Hindwings: The posterior pair of wings. Inner margin: The most posterior (trailing) edge of a wing. Lashes: Groups of bristles found near the compound eyes of some moths. The presence and location of lashes are identification clues for moth species.

Leg segments: The parts of the adult legs. See on this page: coxa,femur, tibia, tarsus. Mandibles: A larva has a pair of tough, sharp-edged mandibles to the left and right of its mouth, used for chewing food. Very few species have mandibles as adults, since most species rely on uptake of liquid food via the proboscis. Ocellus: A single eye lens and associated nerve on the head of either a larva or an adult. In adults, an ocellus is typically located dorsallyfrom (above) the base of each antenna. In larvae, the head surface typically has two clusters of six ocelli, each cluster forming a crescent shape. Ocelli probably sense only light and dark, rather than shapes. A synonym for ocelli: stemmata. Outer margin: The edge of a wing that is farthest from the body; between the inner margin and the costal margin. The outer margin may also be referred to as the terminal edge. Proboscis: A tubular structure of adult butterflies or moths, used for feeding. The proboscis is usually coiled near the ventral surface of the head when feeding is not occurring. It is composed of two hollowappendages fused together. All butterflies and nearly all moths have a functional proboscis. A synonym for proboscis: haustellum. Prolegs: Fleshy leg-like extensions located on several abdominalsegments of a larva (caterpillar). Most lepidopterans have five pairs, but some moths have only two pairs. Each proleg has a set ofcrochets used to adhere to the substrate. Scales: The defining anatomical structures of Order Lepidoptera. Scales are tiny modified bristles covering most of the body surface. Most scales of the wings are flattened and overlapping, resembling in miniature the shingles on the roof of a house. Scales contain the molecules (pigments) that provide much of the color of the lepidopteran wings. Some wing colors are produced by the interplay of light with microscopic structures of scales, rather than involving pigments. See the FAQ #6 for discussion of the function of color. Segment: All insects show marks along their body surface that indicate the margins of segments. Each segment has its own characteristic shape and many segments have protruding appendages of various sizes, shapes, and functions. Insect legs andantennae are also segmented. Setae: Bristle-like extensions from the cuticle of either a larva or an adult. Setae of wings are modified to become the scales. Spermatophores: Bundles containing sperm cells deposited into the female reproductive tract during copulation. A spermatophore, whose structure is made mostly of protein, typically encases several thousand sperm cells. The non-sperm components of a spermatophore are absorbed by the female and become significant nutritional material for her as she produces eggs. Spine: A non-movable extension of the cuticle of an adults leg. The presence, size, and location of spines are identification clues for some species.

Spinnerets: A set of larval structures in the head region that extrude silk from underlying silk-producing glands. Spiracles: Tiny openings along the sides of a larva, pupa, or an adult, leading to a complex system of tubes (tracheae) within the body -- the respiratory system. The spiracles and tracheae carry air to body tissues, for gas exchange. Spur: An extension of the cuticle of an adults leg, anchored in a socket so that it is movable. The presence, size, and location of spurs are identification clues for some species. Stemmata: See ocellus. Tarsus: The segment of an adult leg that is farthest from the body. It is distal to the tibia. Tegula: A small leaf-like appendage off of the first thoracic segmentof an adult lepidopteran. It extends posteriorly, slightly overlapping the base of a forewing. It may function to protect the base of the wing. Tegulae are covered with scales, so they can be of various colors. Thoracic legs: Three pairs of segmented legs of a larva (caterpillar), more anterior than the pairs of unsegmented prolegs. Theseappendages are part of the first three segments (thoracic segments: T1, T2, T3) just posterior to the head. Thorax: The middle portion of an insects body (the others: head andabdomen). The thorax contains a portion of the digestive tract, and a rudimentary artery-like tube. It is the point of attachment for legs and wings, and all of the musculature for moving the wings and legs is in the thorax. Tibia: The portion of an adult leg that is between the femur and thetarsus. It is distal to the femur. Tympanum: One of a pair of somewhat circular membranes on the surface of the thorax or abdomen of many adult Lepidoptera. It functions much like a humans ear drum, vibrating when sound waves strike it and converting this motion into nerve transmissions for analysis by the nervous system. Valva: One of two side-by-side flap-like structures of a male, used to clasp a females abdomen during copulation. Veins: The fluid-filled tubes that radiate out into adult lepidopteran wings from the body. Veins perform several functions. Just aftereclosion from the pupal cuticle, the animals veins are pumped full of a blood-like liquid, hemolymph. This forceful action causes expansion of the wings into their adult shape. Since the walls of veins are made of cuticle, they harden to provide support for the otherwise fragile wings throughout adult life. The hemolymph within veins also acts as a delivery system for nutrients and oxygen from the rest of the body (although there is nothing analogous to our blood circulation pattern). Veins also provide important clues to taxonomists their pattern is a diagnostic tool in determining the family-levelidentification of a moth or butterfly.

Venation: The pattern of wing veins. Used by taxonomists to help determine the familylevel identification of a moth or butterfly. Wing portions: See on this page: inner margin, outer margin, costa,cell, apex, anal angle.