Tibia tibia is most contracted in the lower third and the distal extremity is smaller than the proximal. The proximal or upper extremity of the tibia is expanded in the transverse plane with a medial and lateral condyle, which are both flattened in the horizontal plane. The medial condyle is the larger of the two and is better supported over the shaft. The upper surfaces of the condyles articulate with the femur to form the tibiofemoral joint, the weightbearing part of the kneejoint. The medial and lateral condyle are separated by the intercondylar area, where the cruciate ligaments and the menisci
Arthropod leg with saltatorial legs because the typical leaping mechanism is to straighten the joint between the femur and the tibia, and the femur contains the necessary massive bipennate musculature. The tibia is the fourth section of the typical insect leg. As a rule the tibia of an insect is slender in comparison to the femur, but it generally is at least as long and often longer. Near the distal end there is generally a tibial spur, often two or more. In the Apocrita the tibia of the foreleg bears a large apical spur that fits over a semicircular gap in the