Advertisement
The fixation disc and claws on a fly tarsus
The leg of a honey bee; as viewed through the
microscope; and above as a schematic draw-
ing: (1) hip, (2) trochanter, following the narrow
femur (3) is the triangular, oblong tibia (4). The
first of the five tarsus (foot) segments (5) is
strongly prevalent and equipped with the scopula
(6). Located between the tibia and the first tarsus
segment are the pollen comb (7), pollen pusher,
(8) and pollen pincers (9).
Pollen basket at the joint of a honey bee
Different insect legs: House fly (1), praying mantis
(2), honey bee (3), creeping water bug (4), grass-
hopper (5), mole cricket (6), and head louse (7)
The Fascinating Structure of Insect Legs
The legs of insects have come to be every bit as varied as the mouthparts. In many
cases, it would be presumptuous to regard insect legs as being mere means of
transportation. For example, the honey bee has three different tools on the rear-
most of its three pairs of articulated legs: a brush to brush the pollen from its fur,
kneading tools for processing the collected pollen into transport packages, and a
little basket consisting of bristles in which the pollen packages are transported.
The hind legs are especially interesting. It contains ingenious devices that the
bee uses when collecting pollen. When a bee flies out of a blossom, oftentimes
it is covered from head to toe with yellow pollen. On one of the leg segments,
it has a thick bristle coat, the brush that it uses to brush the pollen out of its fur.
The brushed-out pollen is stuck together with honey and kneaded in the pollen
pincers. You've probably already seen how bees transport the pollen that has been
kneaded into pollen packages. Namely, the bee also has a basket
in which it transports the pollen. Long brushes that are bent
they have articulated (segmented) legs. Because of this common trait of insects, as
well as centipedes, millipedes, spiders, and crabs, all of these animals are grouped
into the common group of the arthropods (from the Greek for "jointed feet").
Primary construction of
an insect leg:
Femur
Tibia
Hip
Trochanter
Tarsus
(3)
32
inward, forming a basket, often give the loaded bee the ap-
pearance of having yellow pants on.
At the end of a bee's leg, there are even more astonish-
ing things to be found. All six legs end in two claws each
with which the bee can hold tightly onto surfaces, even
when upsidedown. Using these claws, it would not
be able to hold onto a very smooth surface, how-
ever. This is why bees — and many other insects as
well — have cushions between their claws that are
covered with little hairs. Using these tiny hairs, a bee
can hold tightly onto even the smallest unevenness
and is therefore able, for example, to walk up a
window pane.
In the figure below, you will find even more
examples of different insect legs. The only thing
that all insect legs have in common is the fact that
(1)
(4)
(5)
(2)
(6)
(7)
Advertisement
