The metathorax is the posterior of the three segments in the
thorax of an
insect, and bears the third pair of
legs. Its principal
sclerites (
exoskeletal plates) are the metanotum (
dorsal), the metasternum (
ventral), and the metapleuron (
lateral) on each side. The metathorax is the segment that bears the
hindwings in most winged insects, though sometimes these may be reduced or modified, as in
Diptera, in which they are reduced to form
halteres, or flightless
beetles (
Coleoptera), in which they may be completely absent even though forewings are still present. All adult insects possess legs on the metathorax. In most groups of insects, the metanotum is reduced relative to the
mesonotum. In the suborder
Apocrita of the
Hymenoptera, the first
abdominal segment is fused to the metathorax, and is then called the
propodeum.
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