• 17 parts
  • Checked September 2026

Parts of a Bug: The Body Parts of an Insect

The body parts of a bug on one plain insect, then one leg up close.

Parts of a Bug: The Body Parts of an Insect

Name Date

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17
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Write the name of each numbered part.Answer key

  1. Head
  2. Antennae
  3. Compound eye
  4. Simple eyes (ocelli)
  5. Mouthparts
  6. Thorax
  7. Six legs
  8. Forewings
  9. Hindwings
  10. Abdomen
  11. Spiracles
  12. Coxa
  13. Trochanter
  14. Femur
  15. Tibia
  16. Tarsus
  17. Tarsal claws

Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry. Licence: own work.

Each numbered ring is a button. Use the arrow keys to move between them and Enter to choose. Names are read out in Study, and once a part is answered.

Next step Next: the same parts on a butterfly

All 17 parts on the diagram

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The whole insect 11

  1. Head The front of the three body parts. It carries the eyes, the antennae and the mouthparts.
  2. Antennae One pair of feelers on the head. The insect senses the world around it with them.
  3. Compound eye One of a pair of large eyes. One is on each side of the head.
  4. Simple eyes (ocelli) Small eyes on the front or top of the head. Most insects have them as well as the two big eyes.
  5. Mouthparts The parts round the mouth that handle food. An upper lip, a pair of jaws and more pieces behind them.
  6. Thorax The middle of the three body parts. It is made of three segments, and all the legs and wings grow from it.
  7. Six legs Three pairs, one pair on each segment of the thorax. Only the three of this side are drawn.
  8. Forewings The front pair of wings. They grow from the middle segment of the thorax.
  9. Hindwings The back pair of wings, on the last segment of the thorax. Some insects have one pair of wings, and some have none.
  10. Abdomen The back of the three body parts. A row of up to eleven segments.
  11. Spiracles Small openings along the sides of the thorax and abdomen. Air goes in through them to the breathing tubes.

One leg 6

  1. Coxa The first piece of the leg, the one joined to the body.
  2. Trochanter The small second piece of the leg. It is between the coxa and the femur.
  3. Femur The third piece of the leg, between the trochanter and the tibia.
  4. Tibia The fourth piece of the leg, between the femur and the tarsus.
  5. Tarsus The foot of the insect, at the end of the leg. It carries the claws.
  6. Tarsal claws A pair of hooks at the tip of the foot.

How this list was compiled: Every name checked on 2026-09-30 in at least two of these: OpenStax, Biology 2e, section 28.6, https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/28-6-superphylum-ecdysozoa-arthropods; North Carolina State University, ENT 425 General Entomology (Head, Thorax, Legs, Abdomen, Respiratory System), https://genent.cals.ncsu.edu/bug-bytes/; Wikipedia, Insect morphology, Insect and Arthropod leg. The sources list says which source gave what. Detail lines are in our own words. Licence: own work

The drawing: Drawn for this site on 2026-09-30 from plain geometry; nothing traced. Licence: own work

How it works

These are the parts of a bug, meaning an insect: three body parts, six legs, two antennae and, on most insects, wings. The second drawing shows one leg up close.

Read the full guide

The whole insect, then one leg

Numbers 1 to 11 are on the whole insect: the head with its antennae, eyes and mouthparts, the thorax with the legs and wings, and the abdomen with its spiracles. Numbers 12 to 17 are the pieces of a leg, from the coxa at the body to the claws. Press Quiz me to label the insect yourself, or print it blank as a worksheet.

What every insect shares

The body parts of a bug come in threes: three body parts and three pairs of legs. All the legs and wings grow from the thorax, the middle part. Air goes in through the spiracles, small openings along the sides.

  • Head, thorax, abdomen: front, middle, back. Legs and wings are always on the middle part.
  • The leg pieces go coxa, trochanter, femur, tibia, tarsus, starting at the body.

Questions and answers

What are the three main body parts of an insect?

The head, the thorax and the abdomen. The head carries the eyes, antennae and mouthparts. The thorax carries the legs and wings. The abdomen is the long back part, made of a row of segments.

How many legs does an insect have?

Six: three pairs, all on the thorax, one pair on each of its three segments. Six legs is one of the things that sets insects apart from their relatives.

Is a bug the same thing as an insect?

In everyday talk, yes: people call any insect a bug. Insect scientists keep the name true bugs for just one group of insects.

How do insects breathe?

Through spiracles, small openings along the sides of the thorax and abdomen. Air goes in through them to a network of fine tubes that carries it through the body.

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