Supraesophageal ganglion
The supraesophageal ganglion generally consists of a set of three fused pairs of ganglia, which constitute the brain in most insect species and in some other closely related arthropods, such as myriapods and crustaceans. It receives and processes information from the first, second, and third metameres. The supraesophageal ganglion lies dorsal to the esophagus and consists of three parts, each a pair of ganglia that may be more or less pronounced, reduced, or fused depending on the genus:
- The protocerebrum, associated with the eyes. Directly associated with the eyes is the optic lobe, as the visual center of the brain.
- The deutocerebrum processes sensory information from the antennae. It consists of two parts, the antennal lobe and the dorsal lobe. The dorsal lobe also contains motor neurons which control the antennal muscles.
- The tritocerebrum integrates sensory inputs from the previous two pairs of ganglia. The lobes of the tritocerebrum split to circumvent the esophagus and begin the subesophageal ganglion.