noun
- the specialized structures around or in the mouth of an animal, especially an insect or other arthropod, used for feeding
Usage: biology; entomology
Examples
- The butterfly’s mouthparts are adapted for sipping nectar from flowers.
- Scientists examined the beetle’s mouthparts under a microscope.
- Different insects have specialized mouthparts for chewing, piercing, or sucking.
- The mosquito’s needle-like mouthparts allow it to pierce skin and draw blood.
- Caterpillars have strong chewing mouthparts for eating leaves.
- The study focused on how mouthparts evolved in various insect species.