Insect Body Structure & Function

As discussed on the previous page, the anatomy of insects includes 3 main body segments: the (head, thorax and Abdomen), all of which are covered by a chemically complex exoskeleton. The exoskeleton has portions that are hard and a waxy outer layer that is very important because it stops water loss from the body and thus keeps insects from drying out.

One important consequence of being covered by a hard exoskeleton is that insects have to remove their exoskeletons so they can get larger. In contrast, our human skeleton is on the inside so we can grow without removing it! In this section we will discuss the 3 main body segments and some interesting and related functions of the sections and their attached appendages.

Figure 8.2: Locust clearly showing the 3 body segments and 3 pairs of legs.