mesothorax
Quick Summary
The mesothorax is the middle of the three segments that make up an insect's thorax. Each thoracic segment, including the mesothorax, has four groups of hardened plates called sclerites: the notum (upper), pleura (sides), and sternum (underside). In most adult insects, the mesothorax bears a pair of wings, while each of the three thoracic segments (prothorax, mesothorax, and metathorax) carries a pair of legs. These legs are always composed of five parts: coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, and tarsus. The mesothorax and metathorax are typically the segments that carry wings in mature insects.12
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