Petiole (insect anatomy) a pedicel, but in entomology, that term is more correctly reserved for the second segment of the antenna; while in arachnology, 'pedicel' is the accepted term to define the constriction between the cephalothorax and abdomen of spiders. The plump portion of the abdomen posterior to the petiole (and postpetiole in the Myrmicinae) is called the gaster. The structure of the petiole is an easy way to visually classify ants, because the major subfamilies of Formicidae have structural differences: some ants have two-segmented petioles, while others have a single-segmented petiole. Petiole may also be used in the context of wing veins,
Mandible (insect mouthpart) Mandible (insect mouthpart) Insect mandibles are a pair of appendages near the insect’s mouth, and the most anterior of the three pairs of oral appendages (the labrum is more anterior, but is a single fused structure). Their function is typically to grasp, crush, or cut the insect’s food, or to defend against predators or rivals. Insect mandibles, which appear to be evolutionarily derived from legs, move in the horizontal plane unlike those of vertebrates, which appear to be derived from gill arches and move vertically. The mouthparts of orthopteran insects are often used as a basic example of mandibulate (chewing)