I am not confused. You said they can't have teeth because they are insects.
They are called mandibles. You might call them teeth when explaining them say to a six grader but they don't behave or look like what we consider to be teeth:
I mean...how many people/mammals do you know that have teeth made of chitin extending outside their mouths and looking like miniature saws?
Mandible
Chewing insects have two mandibles, one on each side of the head. The mandibles are positioned between the labrum and maxillae. They are typically the largest mouthparts of chewing insects, being used to masticate (cut, tear, crush, chew) food items. They open outwards (to the sides of the head) and come together medially. In carnivorous chewing insects, the mandibles can be modified to be more knife-like, where-as in herbivorous chewing insects, they are more typically broad and flat on their opposing faces (eg, caterpillars). In male stag beetles, the mandibles are modified to such an extent that they do not serve any feeding function, but are instead used to defend mating sites from other males. In ants, the mandibles also serve a defensive function (particularly in soldier castes). In bull ants, the mandibles are elongate and toothed, used as hunting (and defensive) appendages.
en.wikipedia.org |
