mesothorax

American  

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

noun

plural

mesothoraxes, mesothoraces

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, ˌmɛsəʊθɔːˈræsɪk /

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

• mesothoracic adjective

Etymology

Origin of mesothorax

First recorded in 1820–30; meso- + thorax

Example Sentences

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

These are the mesothorax and the first eight abdominal segments.

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

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

Prophragma: the anterior dividing wall of meso-thorax, which is horny and, at its upper edge, bears the connecting membrane between pro- and mesothorax.

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

Post-sutural: in Trichoptera, the little plate behind the scutellum of mesothorax: = post-scutellum.

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