Abstract
The thoraco-coxal muscles and the geometry of the leg suspension inside the prothorax were investigated in a praying mantis Mantis religiosa, an aquatic bug Ranatra linearis, and a neuropterid Mantispa lobata. Comparative observations were carried out on a cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea, a pentatomid bug Graphosoma italicum and a neuropterid Creoleon plumbeus. Adaptation of the thoraco-coxal joint to striking function was attained by different morphological structures, preadapted specifically in each insect order with respect to the articulation of the coxa, the number of muscles and the development of the endoskeleton. Adaptation provides for two main properties: maximal distance of the strike and the required rigidity of the supporting structures. In turn, these goals have given rise to some secondary problems, e.g., the versatility of the thoraco-coxal joint and the supposed coactivation of different muscle groups during the strike. J. Morphol. 236:127-138, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
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