Vein

Veins are thickening of the cuticle which support an insect's wing. The veins are usually darker than the membranous wing and are what gives the wings their distinctive patterns.

The positioning of the veins is very important for a variety of reasons but, most importantly, they control the structure of the wing during flight and allow the wing surface to deform and increase flight efficiency.

A close up photograph of a damselfly, the veins in the wings are clearly visible.
Photograph by Quartl licensed under Creative Commons.

Related terms

• Alary
• Costa
• Direct flight muscles
• Discal cell
• Frenulum
• Indirect flight muscles
• Jugum
• Pterostigma
• Quadrilateral
• Venation

Related groups of terms

• Invertebrate body structure

Related pages on this web site

• Insect wings

See other words beginning with V