noun
- A tubular or sucking mouthpart found in certain insects and other arthropods, used for feeding on liquids.
Usage: technical; zoology; plural: haustella
Examples
- The mosquito uses its haustellum to pierce skin and extract blood.
- Butterflies have a coiled haustellum that unrolls to drink nectar from flowers.
- The haustellum of a true bug is adapted for piercing plant tissues.
- Under the microscope, the insect's haustellum showed remarkable structural detail.
- Many parasitic insects rely on their haustellum to feed on host organisms.