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.

---

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

---

Other Word Forms

• mesothoracic adjective

Etymology

Origin of mesothorax

First recorded in 1820–30; meso- + thorax

Example Sentences

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 Alexander, Charles P.

The old metathorax is replaced by another mesothorax thrust in between the normal mesothorax and the abdomen.

From A Critique of the Theory of Evolution by Morgan, Thomas Hunt

Lastly, we count nine pairs of stigmata: one pair on the mesothorax and the rest on the first eight segments of the abdomen.

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

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

On this new mesothorax the characteristic arrangement of the bristles is shown.

From A Critique of the Theory of Evolution by Morgan, Thomas Hunt