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2 unusual facts about metasoma


Metasoma

In apocritan Hymenoptera (wasps, bees and ants), the metasoma consists of the second abdominal segment (which typically forms a petiole) and those segments posterior to it, and is often called the gaster rather than referring to it as the "abdomen"; in these insects, the first abdominal segment is called the propodeum and is fused to the thorax.

In a few of the most primitive insects (the Archaeognatha), the metasomal segments bear small, articulated appendages called "styli", which are often considered to be vestigial.


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Metasoma | metasoma |

Gaster

The gaster is the bulbous posterior portion of the metasoma found in Apocrita Hymenoptera (bees, wasps and ants).

Parabuthus

Other consistent features include a dorsal head covering (carapace) that lacks granular ridges (carinae), while the tail's upper coverings (tergites) have only one inconspicuous middle (median) ridge.


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