Moth
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Introduction
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Anatomy
Just like the other members in class insecta, moth is divided into three parts; head, thorax, and abdomen. At its head, there is a pair of antennae which has sensors that allow moth to measure humidity and flight speed. Antennae, palps, legs, and many other body parts are formed to smell. Behind the antennae, the compound eyes are placed. This kind of eye contains the surface lens for every facets. Beneath the lens, retinal cells are located, which forward nerve signals to optic nerve. It allows the moths for noticing small movements, but hard to distinguish the distinct details.[1]They are large and give wide visual images to moth. Also, it has a long flexible siphoning tube shape of mouth on head. Its mouth is consisted of labrum, maxilla, and labial palp which help to draw the nectar from flowers. In the middle part of its body is thorax. There are digestive tract, muscles and heart. However, moth’s abdomen is made of 10 segments. Digestive, respiratory, excretory, reproductive organs are placed in the abdomen and small openings for respiration are also on it. The most unique features in the class insecta are wings. Especially for moth, it has beautifully colored scales on the both up and bottom part, and they cover the wings. Beneath its wings, it also has 3 pairs of legs for locomotion.
Digestive system
Moth has three parts for digestive system. There are foregut, midgut, and hindgut. The food is sucked by its siphoning mouth and gets moistened by the saliva from the salivary glands. Then the food passes through a esophagus, and stored a moment in the crop. After a short storage, it goes down to the gizzard to be digested. When gizzard opens the valve to get into the midgut, the food continues to go down to stomach. Gastric ceca surrounds the stomach and excretes digestive juices to help digestion. While hindgut absorbs water and salts, and then passes wastes out, major digestion and absorption of nutrients happens in midgut.
Respiration system
They breathe through the thoracic and abdominal spiracles. Spiracles are attached to the tube-shaped called trachea. [2] This is the opening in the body wall and help to respirate by supporting the gases(also oxygen) throughout the body. There are some discoveries that the insects' body is relatively small, because of its' small lungs.
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Circulation system
Moths have simple, open circulatory system. This system involves of carrying only the food not the oxygen throughout the body. And from looking at the insect's system of not carrying the oxygen through the dorsal vessel, we can know why its blood color is green, not red like the mammal blood. In all the parts of the body, dorsal vessels are located to circulate all the metabolites from fat body to cells. Hemocoel , the empty spaces of body, is filled of hemolymph which the heart ensures its mixing all the time. [4] With the heart's work through keeping the hemolymph safe, the circulation system forms. [5]
Excretion system
Malpighian tubules help to excrete the wastes from the body. This tubules take the circulated metabolites then wastes from the hemolymph to pour them into the intestine for the excreting the wastes. When wastes and excretions from the midgut and Malpighian tubules are passed down to hindgut, wastes are excreted through its anus. [6] [7]
Wings of moth
Moth's wings are very unique;from the sight. The name LeLepidoptera means scale wings in Greek. It looks so beautiful because wings with the thin layers of chitin is covered by thousands of tiny scales that make the variety of colors. These wings are not just looking good, but it must be strong and flexible to support the body.[8] Colors of the wings are made not just for their great appearances, but also the following purposes;
- camouflage helping the moth to hide ex) shaped and colored wings like leaf.
- warning coloration-bright colors are bad tasting
- finding a mate
- optical illusion-make their predators to think they look bigger than they actul are; scaring the predators
- soaking the heat-dark colors gain heat faster and better than bright colors. Moths are cold-blooded and this helps to warm down when they get too cold
Reproduction
Moth goes undergo complete metamorphosis. Mostly, these species get together only to mate. Males locate the mates either by settling their districts or to fly around to look for the females. Some males' antennae is so sensitive to locate mates from few miles. Once male finds the suitable female, they follow wherever it goes until it stops on the ground. They releases pheromones to get attention from female. When they mate, male moves his antennae, flap his wings, then produces the sperm in a seminal receptacle where female stores the sperm. Courtship is generally very short and brief. Female lays the eggs through the ovipositor(in the last segment of a female's abdomen), which can hatch the fertilized eggs.
Their life cycle includes four different stages; egg, larva (caterpillar), pupa, and adult. The eggs hatch itselfves only in spring and summer. The larvae molts about 5-6 times to become a pupa. A pupa transforms into an adult after it rains, because it is easier to mate and lay eggs. It can take anytime from 15 days to 2 years from an egg of moth to become an adult, depending on its environment.[9]
Ecology
Other
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References
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