Hidden Beauty

All insects have three body parts, namely the head (caput), chest (thorax) and lower-body (abdomen). The six legs that they possess are allfixed to the middle section, the thorax. All insects have long or short antennae on their head, which help them with orientation. A further typical feature is the faucet eyes. Sometimes insects also have simple eyes between the faucet eyes. One feature that not all insects possess are wings.

Complex eyes:
All insects have one pair of faucet eyes which are also known as complex eyes.
In diurnal insects (those active during the day) the individual eyes wich make up the faucet eye are separated by pigment (colour). This however causes their ability to sense light to sink.
In nochturnal insects (those active at night) the individal eyes are not separated by pigment. This means the insect is better able to use the available light but the clarity of the picture is not so good. Insect eyes are unable to focus in the same way as those of a human.

Simple eyes:
An insect usually has three punktaugen. It is thought that they use these eyes only to determine how light it is.

Legs:
All insects have three pairs of legs. Spiders on the other hand have four pairs and for this reason we don't count them as being insects. Each leg has three parts. Some insects also have sensitive hairs or sharp prickles on their legs.

Antenae:

Insects use their antenae to orientate themselves, or to scan the surrounding area. Some insects ahev long antenae, others short.

Wings:

The two pairs of wings of the stick-insect Pseudophasma phthisica
1 Short wings
2 long wings

Although not all insects posses wings, they are a common feature. Ther are many different kinds of flying insects, like the wasp and the bee. Some types, for example the beetle, have a pair of outer wings with an attractive pattern. Under these lie a pair of delicate, almost transparent wings that the insect uses for flying.

The body structure of Phasmids