Pincer (biology)
mandibles]]
A pincer is the part of an arthropod that enables it to carry loads, to defend against other creatures, or to attack prey. In insects, the pincers are usually part of the creature's mandible, and often venom or acid can be injected through the pincer into an enemy during a pincer strike.
Some arthropods such as crabs, lobsters, pseudoscorpions, and scorpions possess pincers in the form of chelae at the ends of their front limbs (pedipalps), to assist in feeding, defence or even courtship. Arachnids possess a similar set of organs called Chelicerae.
In an early 20th century experiment, researchers cut off the large pincer from a crab, which lead to the remaining pincer growing larger and a new small pincer grew on the opposite appendage.
Similar structures
Some echinoderms have a pair of pedicellariae, which are pincer-like structures. Sea stars, members of the echinoderm clade Asteroidea, have pincer-like jaws . These organisms are deuterosomes, which are more closely related to vertebrates than arthropods, which are protosomes. These structures are derived from the mesodermal skeleton.
A pincer is the part of an arthropod that enables it to carry loads, to defend against other creatures, or to attack prey. In insects, the pincers are usually part of the creature's mandible, and often venom or acid can be injected through the pincer into an enemy during a pincer strike.
Some arthropods such as crabs, lobsters, pseudoscorpions, and scorpions possess pincers in the form of chelae at the ends of their front limbs (pedipalps), to assist in feeding, defence or even courtship. Arachnids possess a similar set of organs called Chelicerae.
In an early 20th century experiment, researchers cut off the large pincer from a crab, which lead to the remaining pincer growing larger and a new small pincer grew on the opposite appendage.
Similar structures
Some echinoderms have a pair of pedicellariae, which are pincer-like structures. Sea stars, members of the echinoderm clade Asteroidea, have pincer-like jaws . These organisms are deuterosomes, which are more closely related to vertebrates than arthropods, which are protosomes. These structures are derived from the mesodermal skeleton.
Comments