What are the body parts of a caterpillar called?

What are the body parts of a caterpillar called?

The caterpillar (or larva) has a more or less cylindrical body composed of three main body parts: the head, the thorax, and the abdomen (Figures 1 and 2).

What is the covering of caterpillar called?

integument
The caterpillar has a soft, worm-like body that is covered by an outer layer called the integument. As it grows, the caterpillar changes its integument through a process called molting.

Does a caterpillar have an exoskeleton?

Unlike humans the caterpillar has its skeleton on the outside, this is known as an exoskeleton. When the exoskeleton is too small the caterpillar sheds or molts its exoskeleton. Most caterpillars do this five times.

What is a caterpillar wrapped in?

One day, the caterpillar stops eating, hangs upside down from a twig or leaf and spins itself a silky cocoon or molts into a shiny chrysalis. Within its protective casing, the caterpillar radically transforms its body, eventually emerging as a butterfly or moth.

What are the four body parts of a caterpillar?

During this stage, the caterpillar can grow in size more than 30,000 times. Caterpillars have a segmented body consisting of a head, a thorax (with three pairs of jointed legs with hooks), and an abdomen (usually with five pairs of stumpy prolegs). Its primary function is to eat and grow in preparation for pupating.

Do caterpillars have hard outer covering?

Caterpillars have three body parts, like all insects: a head, thorax and an abdomen. Their hard, outer covering is called an exoskeleton.

Why do caterpillars have hairs?

The bristles, or setae, are a means of defense for many caterpillars. While the bristles on some species do not cause irritation, others have urticating hairs that cause irritation. Other hairs do not produce or contain venom but are sharp and easily dislodged, often penetrating into the skin, causing irritation.

Why do caterpillars wrap themselves in leaves?

Caterpillars of the genus Anaea are the larvae of leafwing butterflies (so named because their wings mimic dead leaves). They protect themselves while caterpillars by rolling themselves up in a leaf — like rolling a cigar.

How do caterpillars stick to things?

After wandering for a while, the caterpillar makes a simple silk pad on the underside of a branch or twig. It uses a hook-covered appendage called a cremaster to attach itself to this pad. It twists around, embedding its cremaster firmly in the silk. Then, it sheds its skin, revealing the chrysalis.

What are caterpillars bodies made of?

Caterpillars have a segmented body consisting of a head, a thorax (with three pairs of jointed legs with hooks), and an abdomen (usually with five pairs of stumpy prolegs). Its primary function is to eat and grow in preparation for pupating.

Do caterpillars have 12 eyes?

Caterpillars have 12 eyes arranged in a semi-circle Caterpillars have 12 tiny eyelets that are known as stemmata. These eyes are arranged in a semi-circle from one side of the head to the other. The stemmata help the caterpillars to identify light and darkness.

Which is the first part of a caterpillar’s body?

These parts are labeled in the diagram above. The first section of the cate rpillar body is the head. It includes six eyes (called stemmata), the mouthparts, the small antennae, and the spinnerets, from which the caterpillar produces silk. Antennae are present on either side of the labrum but are small and relatively inconspicuous.

What kind of legs does a caterpillar have?

Thorax. It consists of three segments, known as T1, T2, and T3. The thorax contains three pairs of true legs with hooks and a dorsal plate called the prothoracic shield. The prothoracic shield is located on T1, the first segment. The color pattern of this shield is valuable for identifying different species of caterpillars.

Where does the breathing take place in a caterpillar?

Breathing in caterpillars takes place by means of spiracles, the openings present at the sides of the abdomen and thorax. The total number of muscles present in the body of caterpillars is 4000. The head segment alone has 248 muscles. Caterpillars have poor vision.

How many thoracic segments does a caterpillar have?

A segment is a body section of the thorax or abdomen. A caterpillar has three thoracic segments and 10 abdominal segments.