mesothorax

American  

[mez-uh-thawr-aks, -thohr-, mes-, mee-zuh-, -suh-] / ˌmɛz əˈθɔr æks, -ˈθoʊr-, ˌmɛs-, ˌmi zə-, -sə- /

noun

• mesothoraxes,
  plural
• mesothoraces
  plural

1. the middle segment of the three divisions of the thorax of an insect, bearing the second pair of legs and the first pair of wings.

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mesothorax British  

/ ˌmɛsəʊˈθɔːræks /

noun

1. the middle segment of the thorax of an insect, bearing the second pair of walking legs and the first pair of wings See also prothorax metathorax

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• mesothoracic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• mesothoraces
  plural
• mesothoraxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of mesothorax

First recorded in 1820–30; meso- + thorax

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mesothorax

Black; head, pro- and mesothorax, as well as the scutellum, glassy-smooth and shining; the face covered with silvery-white pile; the antennæ, tips of the mandibles, and the legs ferruginous; the palpi elongate and pale rufo-testaceous.

From Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society - Vol. 3 Zoology by Various

Hypopleura: in Diptera, the space over the middle and hind coxa, between the metapleura and pteropleura: the side of the metasternum: the mesepimeron of the mesothorax.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by John. B. Smith

The prothorax is large and “free,” i.e. readily movable on the mesothorax, an arrangement usual among insects with the power of rapid running.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 6, Slice 6 "Cockaigne" to "Columbus, Christopher" by Various

Lastly, there are nine pairs of stigmata, one pair on the mesothorax and the eight following pairs on the first eight segments of the abdomen.

From The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles by Alexander Teixeira de Mattos

Prothoracic segment a little longer than the mesothorax which, in turn, slightly exceeds the metathorax.

From Journal of Entomology and Zoology Volume 11, Number 4, December 1919 by Charles P. Alexander