fisherwr2 > Grasshopper close up
fisherwr2 > A newly-molted German cockroach showing the brown head at the bottom of the image.  Because it has just molted, most of the integument has yet to darken.   As a result, you can see the structures within the body.  In this image, side lighting highlights the trachael system, which carries oxygen to the cells (this is unlike humans in which oxygen is delivered in the blood).  The system consists of several holes in the integument that allow oxygen from the surrounding air into the body.  The oxygen passes through tubes called tracheae (symetric pair, upper center) into smaller and smaller tubules located near the cells.  The series of parallel tubules in the upper left occurs in the unexpanded wing.  Air pressure within these tubules will help inflate the wing to normal size and give it strength. The large number of tubules near the head are for oxgenating the brain, mouthparts, antennae, and other sensory organs.
fisherwr2 > Chinese mantis, Tenodera aridifolia sinensis (Dictyoptera: Mantidae) cleaning up after a meal
fisherwr2 > Chinese mantid, Tenodera aridifolia sinensis (Dictyoptera: Mantidae) feeding on katydid
fisherwr2 > Chinese mantid, Tenodera aridifolia sinensis (Dictyoptera: Mantidae)
Grasshopper close up
fisherwr2 > Grasshopper close up
Grasshopper close up
See photo in original gallery.

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