Everything about Raptorial totally explained
The term
raptorial implies much the same as "
predatory", but most often refers to modifications of an
arthropod's foreleg that make it function for the grasping of prey while it's consumed, where the gripping surfaces are formed from the opposing faces of two successive leg segments (see illustration). This is distinctly different from the grasping mechanism of a structure such as a
scorpion's claw (a "chela") in which one of the opposing surfaces is an articulated digit, and not a leg segment. While this is most widely known in
mantises, similarly modified legs can be found in some
crustaceans (for example,
mantis shrimp), and various
insect families, such as
Mantispidae,
Belostomatidae,
Nepidae, and
Naucoridae (all members of these groups have raptorial forelegs). There are numerous other lineages within various insect families that have raptorial forelegs, most commonly seen in the family
Reduviidae, but also including several different families of
flies, and even a few
thrips.
Of course, the term has a slightly more conventional use, as an adjective describing properties of
birds of prey ("raptors"); for example, the talons of an eagle may be referred to as "raptorial".
Further Information
Get more info on 'Raptorial'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://raptorial.totallyexplained.com">Raptorial Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
