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Mouthparts

Mouthparts form a straight, cylindrical tube beneath the head. Two types of straight, cylindrical tubes occur in insects: piercing-sucking and lapping-sucking mouthparts. Fleas (Siphonaptera), thrips (Thysanoptera), bugs (Hemiptera), and mosquitoes and marchflies (Diptera) have piercing-sucking mouthparts. These insects pierce plant tissue, prey items or hosts and suck out the contents. Many flies (Diptera) have lapping-sucking mouthparts. Fleshy lobes occur at the apex of the proboscis to assist in lapping up fluids.