Definition: Mouthparts modified into long or short, sclerotized piercing devices that are used to penetrate the host/prey/substrate to gain access to food, and liquids are transported through the food canal with the aid of a pressure gradient created by a sucking pump.
Definition: Museum für Naturkunde Berlin (Zoological Collections) (ZMB). Berlin, Germany. URL for main institutional website: http://www.naturkundemuseum-berlin.de Formerly Zoologisches Museum der Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin