proleg noun - fleshy foot-like organs, which serve various
larvae in place of, or in addition to, legs. These are especially prominent in
caterpillars. Note that larval insects may have both true legs (of which there are typically six) and a variable number of prolegs. See the diagram at right below for depiction of
abdominal (or
anterior) and
anal prolegs in a caterpillar. The hook-like structures on the prolegs, useful in the identification of families of lepidoptera, are called
crochets.
