A polyphemus moth (polyphemus moth) has significantly large pinnate antennae
Antennaes are the sensory organs that most arthropods grow on the head and are shakable. In arthropoda , all insects of the insect order have a pair of antennae , but the Arachnida species have no antennae. The antennae of an insect are segmented, and it is usually located above or between the compound eyes of the head.
First, what is the function of insect antennae?
Antennae are important sensory organs of insects, but the sensory functions of different insect antennae are not the same. In general, antennae can be used to detect smells and tastes, wind speed and direction, temperature and humidity, and even feel the sense of touch. Some species of insects have auditors on their antennae, so they have the function of hearing. In addition to their sensory function, in some species of insects, the antennae also have non-sensory effects, such as catching prey.
Second, the main types of insect antennae
Since insect antennae have different functions, their morphology also varies greatly among different insect species. In the insect world, the shape of the tentacles is ever-changing, but can be roughly divided into 13 different types. Understanding the morphological characteristics of insect antennae will be of great help to people to identify insects.
1. Aristate antennae
Houseflies have mangy antennae
It has a mango antennal shape and a bag-like shape, with long mang-shaped bristles on the sides. The most typical mangostes are found in diptera flies.
2. Hammer antennae (capitate antennae)
Hammer-shaped antennae of butterflies
At the apex of the hammer-shaped antennae, it is significantly expanded into a hammer-shaped or spherical shape. The term "capitate" is derived from the Latin word "", meaning "head". Typically, the mitoform antennae are seen in butterflies of lepidoptera.
3. Bar-shaped antennae
A rod-shaped tentacle of a burial armor
The term "clavate" is derived from the Latin word "rod", which is urgently "rod", and the rod antennae gradually thicken along the ends to form a rod, unlike the hammer antennae, which suddenly expand into a hammer or ball at the end. Typical rod-like antennae are found in some beetles of the coleoptera, such as carrion beetles.
4. Filiform antennae
Filiform antennae of the ant
The filamentous antennae are slender and linear, and each section of the antennae is uniformly thick and does not suddenly thin along the tip. "filiform" is derived from the Latin word for "" (meaning "line"). Insects with filamentous antennae such as grylloblattodea's rock crawlers, Mantophasmatodea's gladiators, Zoraptera's angel insects, and Blattodea's cockroaches.
5. Flabellate antennae
"flabellate" is derived from the Rayu word "", meaning "fan". In the fan-barking antennae, the end parts are laterally widened into long lobes stacked on top of each other, looking like folded paper fans. Typical fan-shaped antennae are found in some insects of Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Lepidoptera.
6. Geniculate antennae
Knee-like antennae of ants
The knee-like antennae zigzag from the middle or near the middle like a knee. "geniculate" is derived from the Latin "", meaning "knee". Typical knee-shaped antennae are seen in insects such as ants and bees.
7. Gill leaf antennae (lamellate antennae)
Gill-leaf-like antennae of a beetle
"lamellate" is derived from the Latin word "", meaning "thin scales". This type of antennae is flattened and nested at the ends of the gill lobes. Typical gill leaf-like antennae are found in some beetles.
8. Monofiliform antennae
Rosary-shaped antennae of termites
"monofiliform" is derived from the Latin word "", meaning "necklace". The rosary-shaped antennae look like a string of beads. Each of these antennae resembles small beads of uniform size. The most typical canary antennae are found in termites of isoptera.
9. Ctenophoric antennae
The ctenomorphic antennae of a beetle
As the name suggests, these tentacles resemble combs. The sections of the comb-shaped antennae extend to one side, making the entire antennae look like a comb. The ctenophoric antennae look like double-sided combs. The word "pectinate" is derived from the Latin word "", meaning "comb". Ctenophoric antennae are mainly found in some beetles and sawflies.
10. plumose antennae
Feathery antennae of silkworm moths
These antennae have feathered branches at each section and look like bird feathers. "plumose" is derived from the Latin word "plumose" meaning "feather". Typical pinnate antennae are seen in moths of Lepidoptera.
11. Serrate antennae
A serrated tentacle of a kowtow
These antennae are like saws, with toothless bumps and serrated teeth on one side of each section. The word "serrate" comes from the Latin word "", which means "saw". Typical serrated antennae are seen in some beetles.
12. setaceous antennae
Bristle-like antennae of dragonflies
"setaceous" is derived from the Latin word "", meaning "bristle". The bristle-like antennae are bristle-like and taper from the base of the antennae to the apex. Typical bristle-like antennae are found in ephemeroptera's ephemeroptera and dragonflies and bean maidens.
13. Stylate antennae
A species of insectivorous fly with thorny antennae
"stylate" is derived from the Latin word "", meaning "needle prick". The last segment of this type of antennae has a spike at the end, and some can be extended to be whisker-shaped, but the spikes only protrude from the end of the terminal segment, not from the side, which is the fundamental difference between the prickly antennae and the mangled antennae. Typical whisker-like antennae are found in the brachycera, robber flies, sandpiper (yù) flies, and bee flies.
Beautiful butterflies