Insect morphology deals with studying the physical form and structure of insects. It seeks to understand how structures relate to each other and their functions. Insects have an exoskeleton made of chitin instead of an internal skeleton. Their bodies vary greatly in size, number of eyes, presence of wings, and leg modifications. The insect body is divided into three main parts - the head, which contains sensory organs and mouthparts; the thorax, which holds two or three pairs of legs and one or two pairs of wings; and the softer abdomen, made of 11 segments and housing abdominal appendages.

1. Insect Morphology

2. Morphology:
● Morphology, in biological sense, is the science of form in living
organisms.
● Insect morphology deals with study and description of the
physical form of the insects.
● Morphology seeks to find the reason for structure, and to
understand the relation of different structural forms to one
another.
● Insects, like all arthropods, have no interior skeleton instead
they have an exoskeleton, a hard outer layer, made mostly of
chitin.

3. ● There is enormous variation in body structure amongst insect
species, individuals can range from 0.3mm(fairy flies) to 30cm
across (great owlet moth) , have no eyes or many, well
developed wings or none and legs modified for running,
jumping, swimming or even digging.
● These modifications allow insects to occupy almost every
ecological niche.

4. Insect body is divided into 3 parts–
1. Head
2. Thorax
3. Abdomen
Head: Head, in most insects, is enclosed in a hard, heavily
sclerotized, exoskeleton Head capsule.
Head capsule bears most of the sensory organs including the
antennae, ocelli and compound eyes along with the mouth parts.

6. Thorax:
● It is the middle body region, heavily musculated.
Thorax is divided segments-
-Prtothorax
-Mesothorax
-Metathorax
Mesothorax and metathorax hold the wings, called as pterothorax.

8. Abdomen:
● It is the posterior tagma and the longest of the three body
regions.
● It is usually rather soft compared to rest of the body.
● The ground plan of the abdomen of an adult insect typically
consists of 11 segments.
● Abdominal appendages are present which are concerned with
various important functions.

10. Thank you!