User Contributed Dictionary
Extensive Definition
Prolegs are the fleshy, stubby little structures
found on the ventral surface of the abdomen of most larval forms of insects of the Order Lepidoptera,
though they can also be found on other larval insects such as
sawflies and a few
types of flies. Prolegs of
lepidopteran larvae have a small circle of gripping hooks, called
"crochets". The arrangement of the crochets can be helpful in
identification to family
level. Prolegs are not true legs; they
are not jointed, and so lack the five segments (coxa, trochanter,
femur, tibia, tarsus) that true insect legs possess. They have
their own musculature, but it is limited, and much of the movement
of the prolegs is accomplished via hydraulics.
References
- Peterson, A. 1948. Larvae Of Insects. Part I: Lepidoptera & Hymenoptera; Part II: Coleoptera, Diptera, Neuroptera, Siphonaptera, Mecoptera, Trichoptera. Columbus, OH.
- Richards, O.W. & R.G. Davies. 1977. Imm's General Textbook of Entomology, 10th ed. (2 Volumes). Chapman & Hall, London.
- Snodgrass, R.E. 1935 (1993 reprint). Principles of Insect Morphology. Cornell University Press, Ithaca, NY.
External links
proleg in German: Bauchbein
proleg in Italian: Pseudozampe
proleg in Norwegian: bukfot