prothorax

American  

[proh-thawr-aks, -thohr-] / proʊˈθɔr æks, -ˈθoʊr- /

noun

plural

prothoraxes, prothoraces

1. the anterior division of the thorax of an insect, bearing the first pair of legs.

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prothorax British  

/ prəʊˈθɔːræks /

noun

1. the first segment of the thorax of an insect, which bears the first pair of walking legs See also mesothorax metathorax

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Other Word Forms

• prothoracic adjective

Etymology

Origin of prothorax

From New Latin, dating back to 1820–30; pro- ¹, thorax

Example Sentences

Pronotum, prō-nō′tum, n. the tergal portion of the prothorax in the Insecta:—pl.

From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 3 of 4: N-R) by Various

For, commencing on the level of the beach, the usual type is broad, flat, more or less opake, with the prothorax almost impunctate, and the elytra soldered together.

From On the Variation of Species, with Especial Reference to the Insecta ; Followed by an Inquiry into the Nature of Genera by Wollaston, Thomas Vernon

Magnified. b, spiracle on prothorax; c, protruded head region; d, tail-end with functional spiracles; e, f, head region with mouth hooks protruded; g, hooks retracted; h, eggs.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 4 "Hero" to "Hindu Chronology" by Various

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

The body is long and cylindrical, consisting of thirteen segments; the head is armed with powerful jaws; the three following segments, the future prothorax, mesothorax, and metathorax, each bears a pair of simple articulated legs.

From On the Origin and Metamorphoses of Insects by Lubbock, John, Sir