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The mandibles of a bull ant. Insect mandibles are a pair of appendages near the insect's mouth, and the most anterior of the three pairs of oral appendages (the labrum is more anterior, but is a single fused structure). Their function is typically to grasp, crush, or cut the insect's food, or to defend against predators or rivals.
The mandibles of a bull ant European honeybee (Apis mellifera) lapping mouthparts, showing labium and maxillae. A chewing insect has a pair of mandibles, one on each side of the head. The mandibles are caudal to the labrum and anterior to the maxillae.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to ants: . Ants – social insects with geniculate (elbowed) antennae and a distinctive node-like structure that forms a slender waist.
The mandibles of a bull ant. The mandible (from Latin: mandibula or mandĭbŭ-lum, a jaw) [1] of an arthropod is a pair of mouthparts used either for biting or cutting and holding food. Mandibles are often simply called jaws. Mandibles are present in the extant subphyla Myriapoda (millipedes and others), Crustacea and Hexapoda (insects etc.).
The salivary glands (element 30 in numbered diagram) in an insect's mouth produce saliva. The salivary ducts lead from the glands to the reservoirs and then forward through the head to an opening called the salivarium, located behind the hypopharynx. By moving its mouthparts (element 32 in numbered diagram) the insect can mix its food with saliva.
English: Diagram showing the morphology of a worker ant (Pachycondyla verenae) Español : Diagrama que muestra la morfología de una hormiga obrera ( Pachycondyla verenae ). Français : Schéma de la morphologie d'une fourmi (ouvrière de l'espèce Pachycondyla verenae )
Trap-jaw ants of this genus have the second-fastest moving predatory appendages within the animal kingdom, [2] after the dracula ant (Mystrium camillae). [8] One study of Odontomachus bauri recorded peak speeds between 126 and 230 km/h (78 and 143 mph), with the jaws closing within just 130 microseconds on average.
Diagram of an ant's anatomy The antennae are the most important sense organs Acromyrmex species possess, and are jointed so the ant can extend them forward to investigate an object. It can retract them back over its head when in a dangerous situation, for example, a fight.