Question

How many pairs of legs are present in the cockroach?
A. Three
B. Two
C. One
D. None of the above

Answer 1

Hint: Cockroach belongs to the phylum Arthropoda. The word arthropod is made up of two words, ‘Arthro’ meaning jointed and ‘Poda’ meaning legs. This phylum is characterized by jointed appendages. It is the largest phylum in the world. It has about 90,000 free-living species.

Complete answer: Cockroach belongs to the class Insecta. The scientific name of a cockroach is Periplaneta americana (American species) or Blatta orientalis (Indian species). Cockroaches are omnivores in nature. They are also categorized as scavengers. They are cursorial or very fast runners. However, they are not fliers. The cockroach is a nocturnal animal. The body of a cockroach has three parts. These three parts of the body are the head, thorax, and abdomen. The thorax has three segments. These three segments are Prothorax, Mesothorax, and Metathorax. The Prothorax has one pair of legs. The mesothorax also has one pair of legs and a pair of leathery wings known as tegmina. The Metathorax has one pair of legs and one pair of membranous wings. Thus, based on the above information we can conclude that three pairs of legs are present in the cockroach.
Hence, the correct answer is option A.

Note: The Insecta class is characterized by head, thorax, and abdomen. These animals have three pairs of legs from each thoracic segment. They also have one pair of antennae originating from the head. They have a pair of simple eyes as well as compound eyes. One pair of wings arise from the mesothorax and another pair arises from the metathorax. The wings arising from mesothorax are known as halters in the case of houseflies and mosquitoes.