Insect Anatomy and Physiology

• The male genital pouch or chamber lies at the hind end of the abdomen, bounded dorsally by the 9th and 10th terga and ventrally by the 9th sternum.
• It contains the dorsal anus, ventral male genital pore, and gonapophysis.
• The 10th segment bears a pair of jointed filamentous structures called anal cerci.
• The alimentary canal present in the body cavity is divided into three regions: foregut, midgut, and hindgut.
• The mouth opens into a short tubular pharynx, leading to a narrow tubular passage called oesophagus.
• The oesophagus opens into a sac like structure called the crop, which is followed by the gizzard or proventriculus.
• The gizzard has an outer layer of thick circular muscles and a thick inner cuticle forming six highly chitinous plate called teeth.
• The hindgut is broader than the midgut and is differentiated into the ileum, colon, and rectum.
• The rectum opens out through the anus.

Test your knowledge of insect anatomy and physiology with this quiz. Explore the structure and functions of the alimentary canal, male genital pouch, and other key features of insect biology.