Legs
Cursorial legs. These are the types of legs most people likely think of if they’ve ever pondered insect legs before. Cursorial is a fancy word for running, so these are the kinds of legs you see on swiftly moving insects such as roaches and tiger beetles. Cursorial legs tend to be long and narrow and are designed so that the insect can move very quickly. Things with this type of leg are often hard to catch – or hard to step on if you’re dealing with roaches.
Saltatorial legs. Saltatorial legs are jumping legs.Grasshoppers are the poster insects for saltatorial legs, but other jumping insects like fleas have them as well. Saltatorial legs work well for jumping because they are enlarged legs filled with bulky, strong muscles. All those muscles allow insects with this type of leg to jump, propelling themselves forward very long distances very quickly. Saltatorial legs are usually hind legs.
Natatorial legs. Natatorial is another word for swimming, so insects with natatorial legs are aquatic insects that require modified legs to move easily through water. Natatorial legs are often flattened, broad, and fringed with dense hairs, as in the image of the predaceous diving beetle hind leg pictured at right. These adaptations have the same sort of effect as a human wearing flippers as they swim – they increase the surface area of the legs as they kick, allowing the insect to move more easily through water. Many aquatic insects exhibit natatorial legs, especially in the hind and middle pairs of legs, but not all of them do. They are especially common in aquatic beetles and bugs.
wings
Scaly: examples Moths and Butterflies: These wings are covered with scales which are unicellular, flattened outgrowths of the body wall. Scales are responsible for colour. They are important in smoothening the airflow over wings and body. They also insulate the insect against cold.
Membranous: examples Dragon Fly , Honeybee , and Termites: These wings are thin and transparent. They are supported by a system of tubular veins. They are useful in flight.
Hemelytra: examples Red Cotton Bug: The basal half of the wing is thick and leathery. The distal half is membranous. They are protective in function and not involved in flight.
mouthparts
Many moths and butterflies have siphoning mouthparts that are adapted to draw nectar from long-throated flowers. Unlike piercing-sucking mouthparts, these do not penetrate into the plant. When at rest, the tube is held as a coil under the head. A few moths have tubes that may be several inches in length when extended.
The other common type is that of the sponging mouthparts. Many of the flies, including the house fly, blow flies, and fruit flies have sponging mouthparts. Sponging mouthparts appear as a conical process with sponge like lobes at the end. This type of mouth is modified to lap up liquids. These flies often use enzymes to liquify the food before feeding.
Many of the insect have chewing mouthparts, including beetles (Coleoptera), caterpillars (Lepidoptera), the Orthoptrea, and termites (Isoptera). Insects with chewing mouthparts leave noticeable holes in leaves, wood, or fruit. Insecticides that lay on the surface of the plant may be effective as these insects often consume more of the surface area of plants than insects with piercing-sucking mouthparts.
