Name: ______________Taylor Haralson_________________ Date: __12-10-10_________ 50
points possible
Grasshopper Pre-lab Worksheet
The following worksheet must be successfully completed before you start the actual dissection
of the grasshopper.
Introduction
1. What % of all animal species are insects? ___about 80%____________________________
2. Name the phylum for grasshoppers: the Class
Insecta of the Arthropoda Phylum
3. Name seven common characteristics of all arthropods:
i. _________ a chitinous exoskeleton ________________
ii. ________ paired, jointed appendages ______________________
iii. _________ reproduction, ____________________________________
iv. ______________ protostome coelomates ___________________
v. ______ complete digestive system with anterior appendages modified to form
mouthparts _________________________________________________
vi. _________ highly organized nervous system with complex sense organs; and
corresponding complex _________________________________________________
vii. ____ behaviors, even social organization in some
______________________________________________________
4. What is the scientific name of the grasshopper we are dissecting? _____ Caelifera
___________
External Anatomy
5. Name 4 functions of the exoskeleton
i. protects____________
ii._ To give structural support
iii._3)To facilitate the movement of limbs & appendages _______________________________
iv. ____________________________________
6. What’s the major disadvantage of an exoskeleton? __ It limits the size, which is why insects do
not grow to very large sizes. ________________________________
7. What is the major component of the exoskeleton? _____________________________
8. Name the three distinct body regions: ______ The Head__ Thorax_ &
________ Abdomen
______
9. Identify these external features and describe their function/location:
a. Compound Eye -___ The eye of most insects and some crustaceans, which is composed of many
light-sensitive elements, each having its own refractive system and each forming a portion of an
image. _______________________________________________
b. Ocelli ___ 'little eye'. -_______________________________________________
c. Antenna ____- one of a pair of mobile appendages on the head__
d. Labrum _- a lip or liplike part. _________________________________________________
e. Maxilla ___ a jaw or jawbone _______________________________________________
f. Mandible __ the bone of the lower jaw. _________________________
g. Palpi ___ an appendage attached to an oral part and serving as an organ of sense in insects
_______________________________________________
h. Tympanum ___ the stretched membrane forming a drumhead. __________________
i. Femur _____ one in the human leg extending from the pelvis to the knee
j. Tibia __ the inner of the two bones of the leg_
__
Name: __Taylor Haralson _____________________________ Date: ___________ 50 points
possible
2 of 3
k. Tarsus _ the bones of the proximal segment of the foot
l. Spiracles ____ a breathing hole ______________________________________________
m. Ovipositor ______ an organ at the end of the abdomen
The Head
11. How many segments is the head actually made up from? ____ 3: the vertex, the occiput, and
the fastigium. __________________
12. Food is manipulated by what “tongue-like” organ? _________________________________
13. What are the types of eyes? ______ compound ____ and
____simple_____________________
14. What antenna are sensory structures for which two senses? ____________ &
_____________
The Thorax
15. How many segments is the thorax made from? ____________________
16. How many joints/segments does each leg have? __________________
17. What structure is used by the male to produce mating calls?
___________________________
The Abdomen
18. How many segments is the abdomen made from? ______________________
19. What is the female egg laying structure
called?______________________________________
Respiratory System
20. What is the respiratory system of the grasshopper called? _____________ spiracles
_______________
21. What is the series of tubes used to distribute the air
called?_____________________________
22. The Tracheal System begins w/ ________breathing___________________
23. Can Grasshoppers pump air into the spiracles? __no______________________
Name: _____taylor haralson__________________________ Date: ___________ 50 points
possible
Digestive System
24. Food is chewed up into smaller pieces and then moistened by ________________ mandibles
_________
25. What muscular organ manipulates the food for swallowing? tongue
26. Describe the path of food thru the digestive system:
a. Mouth, __ pharynx, ____ esophagus ___, _____ stomach ____ cardiac sphincter
____, ____ small intestine, ____ ileocecal valve, ___ large intestine or colon, __,
______ rectum ________,
_______________, ________________ and anus. The __________________ secrete
digestive enzymes into the stomach.
Circulatory System
27. What type of circulatory system does the grasshopper have? open circulatory system
Excretory System
28. What organs are used to remove nitrogenous wastes (urea)? ___ The excretory system
___________________
Nervous System
29. How many ganglions does the grasshopper brain have? ________________
30. Does it have a dorsal or ventral nerve cord? ____ Grasshoppers have a nerve ladder down the
ventral surface of their belly
Reproductive System
31. How do you tell the difference between the sexes?
____________________________________ On the underside of the grasshopper, the female will
have a pointed and long segment at the end of her body. The male will have a rounded segment that
is not pointy and long at the end of his body. ________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________