Living With a Small Head

Head of Stylops ovinae
Image: Knauthe & Colleagues*

In the smallest insects, the appendages on the head can be greatly reduced in size or vestigial as an adaptation. Larvae of Stylops ovinae a Strepsipteran parasite of bees is only a few tenths of a millimeter long. Miniaturization has led to drastic alteration in the appendages of the head. Antennae are absent as well as the antennal musculature. The mandibles are the only functional mouthparts. The Labium is fused to the head and the…

Source: Living With Insects Blog