metathorax

American  

[met-uh-thawr-aks, -thohr-] / ˌmɛt əˈθɔr æks, -ˈθoʊr- /

noun

• metathoraxes,
  plural
• metathoraces
  plural

1. the posterior division of the thorax of an insect, bearing the third pair of legs and the second pair of wings.

---

metathorax British  

/ ˌmɛtəˈθɔːræks /

noun

1. the third and last segment of an insect's thorax, which bears the third pair of walking legs and the second pair of wings See also prothorax mesothorax

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• metathoracic
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• metathoraces
  plural
• metathoraxes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of metathorax

First recorded in 1810–20; meta- + thorax

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

metathorax

Thorax rugose-striate, the anterior lateral angles dentate, the metathorax without spines; the femora thickly incrassate and greatly attenuated at their base.

From Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society - Vol. 3 Zoology by Various

The metathorax bears the hind pair of wings and the third pair of legs.

From Butterflies Worth Knowing by Clarence M. Weed

The lateral angles of the anterior margin of the prothorax acute, the metathorax armed with two long acute spines.

From Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society - Vol. 3 Zoology 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 Sir John Lubbock

Thorax: the metathorax densely clothed with yellowish-white pubescence; the legs with glittering white hairs, the calcaria white; wings brown with their base hyaline.

From Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society - Vol. 3 Zoology by Various