Proboscis

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Template:Short description Script error: No such module "about".

File:Eristalinus October 2007-6.jpg
A syrphid fly using its proboscis to reach the nectar of a flower

A proboscis (/proʊˈbɒsɪs, -kɪs/) is an elongated appendage from the head of an animal, either a vertebrate or an invertebrate. In invertebrates, the term usually refers to tubular mouthparts used for feeding and sucking. In vertebrates, a proboscis is an elongated nose or snout.

Etymology

First attested in English in 1609 from Latin Script error: No such module "Lang"., the latinisation of the Ancient Greek Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".),[1] which comes from Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".) 'forth, forward, before'[2] + Script error: No such module "Lang". (Script error: No such module "Lang".), 'to feed, to nourish'.[3][4] The plural as derived from the Greek is Script error: No such module "Lang"., but in English the plural form proboscises occurs frequently.

Invertebrates

The most common usage is to refer to the tubular feeding and sucking organ of certain invertebrates such as insects (e.g., moths, butterflies, and mosquitoes), worms (including Acanthocephala, proboscis worms) and gastropod molluscs.

Mosquitoes

Mosquitoes use their proboscis to suck up blood. Only the female mosquitoes take blood meals.[5] Male proboscis are not strong enough to break human skin.[6] Both female and male mosquitoes can feed on fruit and flower nectars.[6] Their proboscis is sharp when examined on a molecular level; this feature has been used to research modifications to syringes and various medical equipment.[7]

Acanthocephala

File:Parasite140083-fig5 Figs 31-36 Cathayacanthus spinitruncatus.tif
Scanning electron microscopy of proboscis of an Acanthocephala[8]

The Acanthocephala, the thorny-headed worms or spiny-headed worms, are characterized by the presence of an eversible proboscis, armed with spines, which they use to pierce and hold the gut wall of their host.

Lepidoptera mouth parts

File:Convolvulus hawk-moth (Agrius convolvuli) 2.jpg
Convolvulus hawk-moth (Agrius convolvuli) feeding with extended proboscis
File:Silver-spotted Skipper Unfurling Its Proboscic.jpg
Silver-spotted Skipper (Epargyreus clarus) unfurling its proboscis to feed on Zinnia

The mouth parts of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) mainly consist of the sucking kind; this part is known as the proboscis or 'haustellum'. The proboscis consists of two tubes held together by hooks and separable for cleaning. The proboscis contains muscles for operating. Each tube is inwardly concave, thus forming a central tube up which moisture is sucked. Suction takes place due to the contraction and expansion of a sac in the head.[9] During rest, the proboscis remains coiled tightly against the head. When the butterfly moves to feed, it unfurls to extend downward into the flower's center.[10] A specific example of the proboscis being used for feeding is in the species Deilephila elpenor. In this species, the moth hovers in front of the flower and extends its long proboscis to attain its food.[11]

A few Lepidoptera species lack mouth parts and therefore do not feed in the imago. Others, such as the family Micropterigidae, have mouth parts of the chewing kind.[12]

The study of insect mouthparts was helpful for the understanding of the functional mechanism of the proboscis of butterflies (Lepidoptera) to elucidate the evolution of new form-function.[13][14] The study of the proboscis of butterflies revealed surprising examples of adaptations to different kinds of fluid food, including nectar, plant sap, tree sap, dung[15][16][17] and of adaptations to the use of pollen as complementary food in Heliconius butterflies.[18][19] An extremely long proboscis appears within different groups of flower-visiting insects, but is relatively rare.

Gastropods

Page Module:Message box/ambox.css has no content.

Page Template:Multiple image/styles.css has no content.

File:Mitra-mitra.jpg
Proboscis of a predatory marine snail Mitra mitra.
File:Kelletia kelletii 4.jpg
Kellet's whelks feeding on a dead fish using a long, prehensile proboscis.

Some evolutionary lineages of gastropods have evolved a proboscis. In gastropods, the proboscis is an elongation of the snout with the ability to retract inside the body; it can be used for feeding, sensing the environment, and in some cases, capturing prey or attaching to hosts. Three major types of proboscises have been identified: pleurembolic (partially retractable), acrembolic (fully retractable), and intraembolic (variable in structure). Acrembolic proboscises are usually found in parasitic gastropods.[20][21] The proboscis in gastropods is protruded using hydraulic pressure generated by the wall musculature of the head-foot. It is retracted using specialized proboscis retractor muscles.[22]

Vertebrates

File:Asian Elephant, Royal Chitwan National Park.jpg
Asian elephant drinking water with trunk

The elephant's trunk and the tapir's elongated nose are called "proboscises", as is the snout of the male elephant seal.

Notable mammals with some form of proboscis are:

The proboscis monkey is named for its enormous nose.

The human nose is sometimes ironically called a proboscis, especially when large or prominent.

Notable fishes with some form of proboscis are:

See also

References

Page Template:Reflist/styles.css has no content.

  1. ^ προβοσκίς, Henry George Liddell, Robert S, A Greek–English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
  2. ^ πρό, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek–English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
  3. ^ βόσκω, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek–English Lexicon, on Perseus Digital Library
  4. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Harper, Douglas. "proboscis". Online Etymology Dictionary.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Lee, Sang Joon; Kim, Bo Heum; Lee, Jung Yeop (2009-05-11). "Experimental study on the fluid mechanics of blood sucking in the proboscis of a female mosquito". Journal of Biomechanics. 42 (7): 857–864. doi:10.1016/j.jbiomech.2009.01.039. ISSN 0021-9290.
  6. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.CDC (2024-05-14). "About Mosquitoes". Mosquitoes. Retrieved 2025-09-11.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Izumi, Hayato; Suzuki, Masato; Aoyagi, Seiji; Kanzaki, Tsutomu (2011-01-01). "Realistic imitation of mosquito's proboscis: Electrochemically etched sharp and jagged needles and their cooperative inserting motion". Sensors and Actuators A: Physical. Transducers 2009. 165 (1): 115–123. doi:10.1016/j.sna.2010.02.010. ISSN 0924-4247.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Amin OA, Heckmann RA, Ha NV (2014). "Acanthocephalans from fishes and amphibians in Vietnam, with descriptions of five new species". Parasite. 21 53: 53. doi:10.1051/parasite/2014052. PMC 4204126. PMID 25331738. Open access icon
  9. ^ Evans, W. H. (1927) Identification of Indian Butterflies, The Diocesan press. Introduction, pp. 1–35.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Proboscis Unwinds — Biological Strategy — AskNature". The Biomimicry Institute. Retrieved 2025-11-17.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hallam, Bridget; Floreano, Dario; Hallam, John; Hayes, Gillian; Meyer, Jean-Arcady (2002). From Animals to Animats 7: Proceedings of the Seventh International Conference on Simulation of Adaptive Behavior. MIT Press. ISBN 9780262582179.
  12. ^ Charles A. Triplehorn and Norman F. Johnson (2005). Borror and Delong's Introduction to the Study of Insects (7th edition). Thomson Brooks/Cole, Belmont, CA. Template:ISBN
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Krenn HW, Kristensen NP (2000). "Early evolution of the proboscis of Lepidoptera: external morphology of the galea in basal glossatan moths, with remarks on the origin of the pilifers". Zoologischer Anzeiger. 239: 179–196.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Krenn HW, Kristensen NP (2004). "Evolution of proboscis musculature in Lepidoptera". European Journal of Entomology. 101 (4): 565–575. doi:10.14411/eje.2004.080. S2CID 54538516.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Krenn HW, Zulka KP, Gatschnegg T (2001). "Proboscis morphology and food preferences in Nymphalidae (Lepidoptera, Papilionoidea)". J. Zool. Lond. 253: 17–26. doi:10.1017/S0952836901000528.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Knopp, M. C. N.; Krenn, H. W. (2003). "Efficiency of fruit juice feeding in Morpho peleides (Nymphalidae, Lepidoptera)". Journal of Insect Behavior. 16 (1): 67–77. Bibcode:2003JIBeh..16...67K. doi:10.1023/A:1022849312195. S2CID 33428687.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Krenn, Harald W. (2010). "Feeding Mechanisms of Adult Lepidoptera: Structure, Function, and Evolution of the Mouthparts". Annual Review of Entomology. 55: 307–27. doi:10.1146/annurev-ento-112408-085338. PMC 4040413. PMID 19961330.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Krenn, Harald W.; Eberhard, Monika J. B.; Eberhard, Stefan H.; Hikl, Anna-Laetitia; Huber, Werner; Gilbert, Lawrence E. (2009). "Mechanical damage to pollen aids nutrient acquisition in Heliconius butterflies (Nymphalidae)". Arthropod-Plant Interactions. 3 (4): 203–208. Bibcode:2009APInt...3..203K. doi:10.1007/s11829-009-9074-7. PMC 4040415. PMID 24900162.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Hikl, A. L.; Krenn, H. W. (2011). "Pollen processing behavior of Heliconius butterflies: A derived grooming behavior". Journal of Insect Science. 11 (99): 99. doi:10.1673/031.011.9901. PMC 3281465. PMID 22208893.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Simone, Luiz (September 2019). "The proboscis of the Gastropoda 1: its evolution". Malacopedia (Volume 2(4): 22–29 ed.). ISSN 2595-9913.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ball, A.D.; Andrews, E.B.; Taylor, J.D. (1997-02-01). "The Ontogeny of the Pleurembolic Proboscis in Nucella lapillus (Gastropoda: Muricidae)" (PDF). Journal of Molluscan Studies. 63 (1): 87–89. doi:10.1093/mollus/63.1.87. ISSN 0260-1230.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Simone, Luiz Ricardo L (September 2019). "The proboscis of the Gastropoda 1: its evolution". Malacopedia. 2 (4): 22–29.

Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Authority control/config' not found.

Retrieved from "https://cosmopedia.co/index.php?title=Proboscis&oldid=319775"