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

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Etymology

Origin of mesothorax

First recorded in 1820–30; meso- + thorax

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

mesothorax

Thorax finely punctured, with the disk of the mesothorax impunctate; wings dark brown with a rich coppery iridescence.

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

He used Geoffroy's Loi de balancement to explain cases of correlative development, such as the relation between the size of the front wings and the development of the mesothorax.

From Form and Function A Contribution to the History of Animal Morphology by E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell

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

Underside of the mesothorax and metathorax with many greenish scales.

From Narrative of the Voyage of H.M.S. Rattlesnake, Commanded By the Late Captain Owen Stanley, R.N., F.R.S. Etc. During the Years 1846-1850. Including Discoveries and Surveys in New Guinea, the Louisiade Archipelago, Etc. to Which Is Added the Account of Mr. E.B. Kennedy's Expedition for the Exploration of the Cape York Peninsula. By John Macgillivray, F.R.G.S. Naturalist to the Expedition. — Volume 2 by John MacGillivray

Many of the names which he proposed are still in use; it was he who introduced the terms prothorax, mesothorax, and metathorax, for the three segments of the insect's thorax.

From Form and Function A Contribution to the History of Animal Morphology by E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell

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