Labrum (arthropod mouthpart)

The labrum is a flap-like structure that lies immediately in front of the mouth in almost all extant Euarthropoda. The most conspicuous exceptions are the Pycnogonida, which probably are chelicerate-relatives. In entomology, the labrum amounts to the "upper lip" of an insect mouth, the corresponding "lower lip" being the labium.

The evolutionary origin, embryogenesis and morphological development of the labrum have proved to be by far the most controversial and challenging topic in the study of arthropod head structures.