antlia

[Lat. antlia = a machine for drawing water; a pump; Gr. ἀντλία ( antlia ) =(1) the hold of a ship, (2) bilge-water.] Entom. The spiral proboscis of the Lepidopterous order of insects. It "is formed by the elongated slender maxillæ, still characterised by the minute palpi at their base. The inner margins of the maxillæ are concave, and the edges of the channels are in close contact, or are confluent, so as to form a canal along which the juices of the flowers can be pumped up into the mouth. The large labial palpi defend the antlia when it is retracted and coiled up." ( Owen : Comp. Anat . Invert . Animals .) Ant-li-a, s. [See preceding.] Astron.: An abbreviation for Antlia Pneumatic a (the Air-pump), one of the Southern constellations introduced by Lacaille.