Question

The mouthparts of mosquito are of
A. Siphoning type
B. Piercing and sucking type
C. Sponging type
D. Cutting and chewing type

Answer 1

Hint: Any of the appendages present in the mouth of an insect or other arthropod that is adapted for feeding is known as mouthparts. The mouth part of each organism is modified based on the feeding mode of that particular organism.

Complete answer: The piercing and sucking-type mouthparts are adapted for piercing the tissue of animals or plants and to suck blood or plant juice. The mouthparts consist of the labium, labrum-epipharynx, hypopharynx, mandibles and maxillae. This type of mouthpart is commonly found in mosquitoes. Mosquitoes feed on human blood, therefore, they require such modification of mouth that would help them to pierce the skin.
a) Devices that involve the flow of liquids through tubes are known as a siphon. This type of mouthparts is adapted for sucking flower nectar and fruit juice as found in butterflies and moths belonging to the order Lepidoptera of class Insecta.
b) In sponging types of mouthparts, the lower lip is well developed and modified to form a long, fleshy and retractile proboscis. The sponging type mouth part consists of labrum-epipharynx, maxillae, labium and hypopharynx. These mouthparts are adapted for sucking up liquid or semiliquid food and are seen commonly in houseflies and some other flies.
c) Mandibles are the largest and most robust mouthparts of a chewing insect that uses them to masticate food items. An insect with a cutting and chewing type of mouthparts has a pair of mandibles, one on each side of the head. The cutting and chewing type mouthparts are commonly seen in cockroaches, grasshoppers, most wasps, beetles, termites and caterpillars.
Hence, the correct answer is option B.

Note: The labrum is a cover that may be loosely referred to as the upper lip. Mandibles are the hard, powerful cutting jaws. Maxillae are less powerful than the mandibles. The labium is the lower cover and is often referred to as the lower lip. Hypopharynx is a tongue-like structure on the floor of the mouth.