Comment on Mandibles

Hjalamanger@feddit.nu ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

• Saeveo@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  On the Giant Water Bug (bottom left) they aren’t even mouthparts, those are it’s first pair of legs.

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  • rickyrigatoni@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    That’s kinda hot

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    • thesporkeffect@lemmy.world ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      You should start a sexy bug leg/mouthparts community.

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    • Evil_Shrubbery@lemm.ee ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Imagine some fishnets over those puppies

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  • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    isn’t that technically how it works for all arthropods? Anything vaguely limb-like is in fact a heavily derived leg, including antennae.

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    • Slatlun@lemmy.ml ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      These are real, current legs. The front 2 of the insect norm of 6

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• southsamurai@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  Afaik, only the ant bites. The others use them for flinging opponents or grappling with them.

  Unlike me, I grapple so I can bite

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• Barx@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

  The lower left is a toe biter water bug with one of the most painful venoms on the planet

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  • Hjalamanger@feddit.nu ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

    I’m getting very mixed answers here (someone else said that’s it’s legs

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    • TheMetaleek@sh.itjust.works ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      They are its legs, however they are heavily modified legs made for strongly grappling prey

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    • Barx@hexbear.net ⁨3⁩ ⁨weeks⁩ ago

      Ohhh. Well the big parts that grab stuff are mandibles. They aren’t legs but they originate, evolutinarily speaking, from legs. Same with antennae! The parts closer to the head do the eating.

      For venomous arthropods sometimes it’s the mandibles that have the venom (like spiders, where they are called Chelicerae), for some it’s saliva and they use various mouthparts (the water bug uses a proboscus), for some it’s their tail end (like ants), etc etc.

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