Exoskeleton Structures

What type of support does the exoskeleton provide?

Structural support.

What does the exoskeleton protect against?

Predators, pathogens, and mechanical damage.

What does the exoskeleton prevent?

Water loss.

What is the exoskeleton the attachment site for?

Muscles.

What is the exoskeleton the basis for?

Movement.

What is the apodemes?

Internal ridge-like ingrowth that acts as attachment site points for muscles.

What is the term “suture” used for?

Both apodemes and sclerite junctions.

What are setae?

Bristle-like cuticular projections that are hollow and connected through pore canals in the cuticle.

What are the diverse functions of the setae?

Mechanoreception, chemoreception, thermal sensing, defense, and locomotion aid.

What is an example of highly modified setae?

Butterfly wing scales.

Through which mechanisms is coloration created?

Pigmentary and structural.

Pigmentary:

Chemical compounds deposited on or in the cuticle that absorb certain wavelengths.

Structural:

No pigment at all, color arises form the physical microstructure of the cuticle interacting with light.