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s display a wide variety of antennal shapes.]] Antennae (singular '''antenna''') are paired Appendage s connected to the front-most Segments of Arthropod s. In Crustacean s, they are Biramous and present on the first two segments of the head, with the smaller pair known as ''antennules''. All other arthropod groups, except Chelicerates and Proturan s which have none, have a single, Uniramous pair of antennae. Antennae are jointed, and generally extend forward from the head. They are Sensory Organ s, although the exact nature of what they sense and how they sense it is not always clear. It appears that their function may include sensing Touch , air motion, heat, vibration (sound), and Olfaction (smell or taste). In Insect s, Olfactory Receptor s on the antennae bind to Odour molecules, including Pheromone s. The Neurones that possess these receptors signal this binding by sending Action Potential s down their Axon s to the Antennal Lobe in the Brain . From there, neurons in the antennal lobes connect to Mushroom Bodies that identify the odour. The three basic segments of insect antennae are the ''scape'' (base), the ''pedicel'' (stem), and finally the ''flagellum'', which comprises many units known as ''flagellomeres''. |
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