metathorax

American  

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

noun

plural

metathoraxes, metathoraces

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

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metathorax British  

/ ˌmɛtəˈθɔːræks, ˌmɛtəθɔːˈræsɪk /

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

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Other Word Forms

• metathoracic adjective

Etymology

Origin of metathorax

First recorded in 1810–20; meta- + thorax

Example Sentences

Metasternum: the underside or breast of the metathorax.

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

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 Lubbock, John, Sir

Thorax anticus valde productus et attenuatus; scutellum bispinosum; metathorax magnus, declivis.

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

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 disk of the thorax with an obscure chalybeous tint, shining and finely punctured; the metathorax opake and finely rugose; the wings subhyaline, their apical margins fuscous, the nervures fusco-ferruginous.

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