Describe the parts of the mouth of a cockroach.
The mouthparts of the cockroach include labrum, mandibles, maxillae and labium.
- Labrum or the upper lip is a broad and roughly rectangular shaped structure. It hangs from the front edge of the head on the lower side. Hypo pharynx is a tongue like structure in the floor of the mouth.
- Mandibles are a pair of hard, strong, large, dark colored structures found one on either side with jagged inner edges. They move in horizontal motion and crush the food present in-between them.
- Maxillae are a pair of structures which lie outside and behind the mandibles. Each consists of three parts known as protopodite, exopodite and endopodite.
- Labium is said to be formed by the fusion of the second pair of maxillae. It forms the broad median lower lip and has a pair of 3-segmented labial palps on either side which is sensory in nature.