Leg Attachment Devices of Tiger Beetles (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae) and Their Relationship to Their Habitat Preferences

Adherence to smooth substrates is closely related to the morphology and distribution of adhesive structures on insects’ legs, so it is hypothesized that the adhesive structures have been evolved as an adaption to smooth substrates in specific environments. However, the factors that promote the evolution of adhesive structures are still unclear. Using scanning electron microscopy, we compared the microstructure of the tarsi of five tiger beetle species, both male and female, belonging to two tribes living in arboreal and non-arboreal environments. We found that the different types of adhesive setae, including elongated spoon-like setae, elliptical setae, branched setae, filament-like setae, discoidal setae, spatulate setae and tapered setae, varied in different environments and genders. The adaptive evolution of these adhesive structures was probably driven by the selective pressures of both mating behavior and the presence of smooth substrates in the respective environments.

Rechte

Nutzung und Vervielfältigung:


CC BY 4.0

Bitte beachten Sie, dass einzelne Bestandteile der Publikation anderweitigen Lizenz- bzw. urheberrechtlichen Bedingungen unterliegen können.

Zitieren

Zitierform:
Liu, Z., Gorb, S., Liang, H., Bai, M., Lu, Y., 2024. Leg Attachment Devices of Tiger Beetles (Coleoptera, Cicindelidae) and Their Relationship to Their Habitat Preferences. Insects 15. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects15090650
Zitierform konnte nicht geladen werden.