([ max- il-lee]; singular: maxilla): the paired mouthparts located behind the mandibles; the third of the four basic insect mouthparts.

The mouthparts that are located between the mandible and the lower labium.

paired bones uniting to form the upper jawbone. The maxillae articulate with every bone of the face except the mandible, or lower jawbone.

Mouthparts that are located between the mandibles and labium

Maxillae are the caterpillar's mouthparts that grasp the food. The maxillae also have taste cells; these chemical detectors tell the caterpillar to eat when the food is appropriate, and not to eat when the food is not appropriate. Caterpillars are very limited in their diet; many species will only eat the leaves of a single type of plant. In the adult stage (butterflies and moths), the maxillae are long, forming the proboscis.