Spiracle of a tiger moth. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a spiracle (centre) of a garden tiger moth caterpillar (Arctia caja). Air passes into

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Spiracle of a tiger moth. Scanning electron micrograph (SEM) of a spiracle (centre) of a garden tiger moth caterpillar (Arctia caja). Air passes into the spiracle (breathing pore) and is conveyed through the caterpillar's body by a network of tubes called tracheae. The diameter of the tubes becomes ever smaller, until they form tracheoles. In insects, oxygen is not carried in the blood but diffuses across these tracheal tubes directly into each cell. Tracheae are ingrowths of the body wall made of chitin. Spiracles occur in pairs on either side of most body segments. Magnification: x2600 at inch size.

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Size: 3534px × 2567px
Photo credit: © MICROFIELD SCIENTIFIC LTD/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, arctia, breathing, caja, caterpillar, garden, insect, insecta, invertebrate, invertebrates, moth, nature, pore, respiration, spiracle, tiger, type, wildlife, zoology