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Scales are present on the bodies of various insects. A notable example are the Lepidoptera , the insect order comprising moths and butterflies, which have scales on their wings and on the head, parts of the thorax and abdomen, and parts of the genitalia.
Scales play an important part in the natural history of Lepidoptera. Scales enable the development of vivid or indistinct patterns which help the organism protect itself by camouflage, mimicry, and warning. Besides providing insulation, dark patterns on wings allow sunlight to be absorbed and are probably involved in thermoregulation.
Scales on a luna moth (Actias luna) Generalized structure of a keeled, lanceolate scale from a jumping spider. Butterflies and moths - the order Lepidoptera (Greek "scale-winged") - have membranous wings covered in delicate, powdery scales, which are modified setae. Each scale consists of a series of tiny stacked platelets of organic material ...
Insect wings are adult outgrowths of the insect exoskeleton that enable insects to fly. They are found on the second and third thoracic segments (the mesothorax and metathorax ), and the two pairs are often referred to as the forewings and hindwings , respectively, though a few insects lack hindwings, even rudiments.
Lepidoptera (/ ˌ l ɛ p ɪ ˈ d ɒ p t ər ə / LEP-ih-DOP-tər-ə) or lepidopterans is an order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths.About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organisms, [1] [2] making it the second largest insect order (behind Coleoptera) with 126 families [3] and 46 superfamilies ...
Scale insects are small insects of the order Hemiptera, suborder Sternorrhyncha. Of dramatically variable appearance and extreme sexual dimorphism , they comprise the infraorder Coccomorpha which is considered a more convenient grouping than the superfamily Coccoidea due to taxonomic uncertainties.
They were formerly grouped together with the Palaeoptera and Paraneoptera as the Hemimetabola or Exopterygota on the grounds that they have no pupa, the wings gradually developing externally throughout the nymphal stages. [2] Many members of the group have leathery forewings and hindwings with an enlarged anal field (vannus).
The scale that conceals the body has two pairs of prominent lobes, giving the insect an "x"-shape. The scale is glossy, hard and brittle; normally a dark red-brown colour, it is sometimes dull and black due to being coated with sooty mould. The first instar nymphs are oval, dark red and about 0.2 mm (0.01 in) long. It has legs and is the only ...