10 THE PARTS OF AN INSECT’S BODY 
Fic. 8.— Foot of an in- 
sect, showing claws and 
pulvillus. Enlarged. 
Original. 
and a foot, or tarsus, made up of five joints, 
or sometimes less. On the end of the tarsus 
often occur claws between which is a small 
pad, or pulvillus. 
The wings vary greatly in size, shape, and 
texture. They constitute an important char- 
acter in separating insects into various groups, 
as will be seen. For example, beetles are 
easily recognized by the possession of a front 
pair of wings that are hardened or horny 
and serve simply as covers for the large, 
membranous hind wings. 
The Abdomen 
The third, or hind part of an insect’s body is called the abdomen. 
It consists often of ten rings or segments, though frequently this 
number is reduced. There are never any legs on the abdomen of the 
adult insect. At the hind extremity in both sexes are the reproduc- 
tive organs. The two sexes are invariably separate in insects, and 
never normally combined in a single individual as in some other forms 
of lower animal life. 
