<P> The anal - genital part of the abdomen , known as the terminalia , consists generally of segments 8 or 9 to the abdominal apex . Segments 8 and 9 bear the genitalia ; segment 10 is visible as a complete segment in many `` lower '' insects but always lacks appendages ; and the small segment 11 is represented by a dorsal epiproct and pair of ventral paraprocts derived from the sternum . A pair of appendages , the cerci , articulates laterally on segment 11 ; typically these are annulated and filamentous but have been modified ( e.g. the forceps of earwigs ) or reduced in different insect orders . An annulated caudal filament , the median appendix dorsalis , arises from the tip of the epiproct in apterygotes , most mayflies ( Ephemeroptera ) , and a few fossil insects . A similar structure in nymphal stoneflies ( Plecoptera ) is of uncertain homology . These terminal abdominal segments have excretory and sensory functions in all insects , but in adults there is an additional reproductive function . </P>
<P> The anal - genital part of the abdomen , known as the terminalia , consists generally of segments 8 or 9 to the abdominal apex . Segments 8 and 9 bear the genitalia ; segment 10 is visible as a complete segment in many `` lower '' insects but always lacks appendages ; and the small segment 11 is represented by a dorsal epiproct and pair of ventral paraprocts derived from the sternum . A pair of appendages , the cerci , articulates laterally on segment 11 ; typically these are annulated and filamentous but have been modified ( e.g. the forceps of earwigs ) or reduced in different insect orders . An annulated caudal filament , the median appendix dorsalis , arises from the tip of the epiproct in apterygotes , most mayflies ( Ephemeroptera ) , and a few fossil insects . A similar structure in nymphal stoneflies ( Plecoptera ) is of uncertain homology . These terminal abdominal segments have excretory and sensory functions in all insects , but in adults there is an additional reproductive function . </P>
small insect with a pair of claws on its abdoman
small insect with a pair of claws on its abdoman
earwigs
earwigs