Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Insects use specialized gustatory (taste) and mechanoreceptive sensilla located inside their mouthparts to evaluate the quality of food before ingestion.
Detailed Explanation:
The preoral cavity of insects is divided into two regions by the hypopharynx:
1. The anterior chamber, called the Cibarium, which serves as a food pump.
2. The posterior chamber, called the Salivarium, into which the salivary duct opens.
The inner dorsal wall of the cibarium is formed by the epipharynx.
Sensory structures located on the epipharyngeal wall of the cibarium are called Epipharyngeal sensilla.
These sensilla function primarily as chemoreceptors (taste receptors) that assess the chemical composition of food as it is sucked or pumped through the cibarium into the pharynx.
Therefore, they are located inside the cibarium.
Step 2: Final Answer:
Epipharyngeal sensilla are found in the cibarium.