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

Thorax oblong-ovate with the metathorax truncate; the wings fusco-hyaline, the stigma large and black.

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

Anatomically the thorax is divided into three parts—the prothorax, the mesathorax, and the metathorax; but the lines of division between these parts are not easily seen without denuding the skin of its hairy covering.

From Butterflies Worth Knowing by Weed, Clarence M.

Median segment: applied to the basal segment of the abdomen when it forms part of the metathorax: see propodeum.

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

Thorax: the sides and beneath with a thin silvery-white pile; the legs ferruginous with the coxæ black, the posterior pair red beneath; the thorax closely punctured, the metathorax transversely striated; wings fulvo-hyaline, the nervures pale-testaceous.

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

Thorax rounded above, the sides not margined; two spines on the thorax anteriorly, two on the metathorax, and two on the scale of the petiole; the legs elongate, with the anterior tibiæ ferruginous.

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