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

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

The point wounded has never varied in the series of combats under glass: it occupies the middle of the line of demarcation between the prothorax and the mesothorax, on the ventral surface.

From More Hunting Wasps by Teixeira de Mattos, Alexander

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

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

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.