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

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

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

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.

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 MacGillivray, John

Among the longhorn beetles, the prothorax scrapes over a median file on the mid-dorsal aspect of the mesothorax.

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

Mesepisterna: in Odonata,- the oblique lateral pieces of mesothorax, meeting dorsally in a ridge.

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