Pulvilli

Pulvilli are lobes or padds that are located between the tarsal claws of many insects. The pads have adhesive properties, including the use of an adhesive fluid, and this helps the insect stick to the surface on which it is standing. Between the pulvilli there is often a spine called the empodium.

An illustration of the tarsus of Asilus crabroniformis with a pulvillus(1) highlighted.
Illustration by Francis Walker (1851).

Legend

1. Pulvilli
2. Claw
3. Empodium

Related terms

• Claw
• Coxa
• Empodium
• Femur
• Tarsomere
• Tarsus
• Tibia
• Trochanter

Related groups of terms

• Invertebrate body structure

Related pages on this web site

• Insect body structure

See other words beginning with P