Insect attachment on waxy plant surfaces: the effect of pad contamination by different waxes

• Elena V. Gorb and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2024, 15, 385–395, doi:10.3762/bjnano.15.35

• surface. The ability to absorb oil, which is one, in beetles possibly even the main, component of the pad secretion [20][21][22], has been demonstrated experimentally for the wax coverage in the carnivorous plant Nepenthes alata Blanco (Nepenthaceae) [23]. Force measurements of the beetle Coccinella

• septempunctata (L.) (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) on microporous substrates able to absorb both polar (water) and non-polar (oil) fluids clearly showed a strong reduction of the attachment force on these substrates compared to reference smooth solid substrates [24]. The latter result has been explained by

Physical constraints lead to parallel evolution of micro- and nanostructures of animal adhesive pads: a review

• Thies H. Büscher and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2021, 12, 725–743, doi:10.3762/bjnano.12.57

• CC BY 4.0). (D–G) Atomic force microscopy (AFM) height images of the footprint droplets of the beetle Coccinella septempunctata (D,F) and the fly Calliphora vicina (E,G). (D) and (E) share the same colour scale. Brighter pixels correspond to higher z values. (F,G) Three-dimensional impressions of the

The effect of flexible joint-like elements on the adhesive performance of nature-inspired bent mushroom-like fibers

• Elliot Geikowsky,
• Serdar Gorumlu and
• Burak Aksak

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 2893–2905, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.268

• compliance. In composite fibers, tip articulation could be critical for performance. In some biological attachment systems, such as the male ladybird beetle (Coccinella septempunctata), a joint of soft material between the setal stalk and the tip of an individual fiber has been discovered [31]. This feature

Effect of microtrichia on the interlocking mechanism in the Asian ladybeetle, Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae)

• Jiyu Sun,
• Chao Liu,
• Bharat Bhushan,
• Wei Wu and
• Jin Tong

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 812–823, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.75

• the abdomen, in which the internal muscles can retract the interlocking segments and the external muscles are posterior to the insertions [23]. The abdomen seems to tense the springs of the costal and cubital bars during folding for the wing to unfold automatically [28]. An investigation of Coccinella

• septempunctata (L.) observed multiple abdominal lifting movements [14]. Because the abdomen is curved, the length of HW2 is equal to that of terga 5–7; the microtrichia beyond tergum 4 serve as obstacles that participate in positioning parts of the wing during folding, ensuring a correct sequence of folds and

Biological and biomimetic materials and surfaces

• Stanislav Gorb and
• Thomas Speck

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2017, 8, 403–407, doi:10.3762/bjnano.8.42

• smooth vertical surfaces and ceilings. The functioning of the pads depends on various environmental factors. Heepe et al. showed that the attachment performance of the beetle Coccinella septempunctata depends on the relative humidity. The authors demonstrated that both low (15%) and high (99

Surface roughness rather than surface chemistry essentially affects insect adhesion

• Matt W. England,
• Tomoya Sato,
• Makoto Yagihashi,
• Atsushi Hozumi,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Elena V. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1471–1479, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.139

• , Atsuta, Nagoya 456-0058, Japan Zoological Institute: Functional Morphology and Biomechanics, Kiel University, Am Botanischen Garten 9, D - 24118 Kiel, Germany 10.3762/bjnano.7.139 Abstract The attachment ability of ladybird beetles Coccinella septempunctata was systematically investigated on eight types

• soot as templates for SiO2 nanoparticles, which were modified with a perfluoroalkylsilane monolayer. All surfaces were prepared on Si substrates. We measured traction forces of adult seven-spotted ladybird beetles Coccinella septempunctata, both males and females, on these six sample surfaces and two

• error for all XPS data used to determine surface composition was estimated to be ±2%. Insect force tests Insect attachment ability was studied in traction experiments with tethered adult seven-spotted ladybird beetles Coccinella septempunctata (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) by using a load cell force

Influence of ambient humidity on the attachment ability of ladybird beetles (Coccinella septempunctata)

• Lars Heepe,
• Jonas O. Wolff and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1322–1329, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.123

• tarsal soles of tenent setae, supplemented with an adhesive fluid. We studied the attachment ability of the seven-spotted ladybird beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) at different humidities by horizontal traction experiments. We found that both low (15%) and high (99%) relative humidities lead to a

• ambient humidity. In the present study, force measurements with tethered seven-spotted ladybirds (Coccinella septempunctata) were carried out in an environmental chamber at various controlled humidities. Experiments were carried out with female and male beetles, which differ in the structure of their

• wet adhesive system of C. septempunctata? (2) Is the attachment ability in both sexes likewise affected by ambient humidity? Experimental Animals For this study, the seven-spotted ladybird beetle Coccinella septempunctata LINNAEUS 1758 (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) was chosen (Figure 1A). This beetle

Functional diversity of resilin in Arthropoda

• Jan Michels,
• Esther Appel and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2016, 7, 1241–1259, doi:10.3762/bjnano.7.115

• on the level of each single adhesive tarsal seta, was shown to exist in the seven-spot ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata) [48] (Figure 2A–C). The material of the setal tip contains large proportions of resilin, while the base of the seta consists mainly of sclerotised chitinous material. Between

Insect attachment on crystalline bioinspired wax surfaces formed by alkanes of varying chain lengths

• Elena Gorb,
• Sandro Böhm,
• Nadine Jacky,
• Louis-Philippe Maier,
• Kirstin Dening,
• Sasha Pechook,
• Boaz Pokroy and
• Stanislav Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 1031–1041, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.116

• experimental studies. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of different parameters of crystalline wax coverage on insect attachment. We performed traction experiments with the beetle Coccinella septempunctata and pull-off force measurements with artificial adhesive systems (tacky

• attachment and higher pull-off forces of polydimethylsiloxane probes on wax surfaces having a higher density of wax coverage, created by smaller crystals. Keywords: Coccinella septempunctata; insect–plant interactions; plant waxes; pull-off force; traction force; Introduction During their locomotion

• beetles Coccinella septempunctata (Coleoptera, Coccinellidae) walking on five different substrates: four wax surfaces plus a hydrophilic smooth glass used as a reference sample. Two main questions were addressed. (i) Do insects perform differently on smooth glass and wax coated samples? (ii) How do

Fibrillar adhesion with no clusterisation: Functional significance of material gradient along adhesive setae of insects

• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Alexander E. Filippov

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2014, 5, 837–845, doi:10.3762/bjnano.5.95

• presented the combined study on the material structure and local mechanical properties in tarsal setae of the beetle Coccinella septempunctata and demonstrated the presence of a material gradient at the level of each single seta [12]. Setal elasticity modulus, probed by atomic force microscope (AFM), ranges

• and material composition of adhesive tarsal setae. Ventral part of the second adhesive pad of a foreleg of a female Coccinella septempunctata, lateral view. (a) Scanning electron micrograph (the specimen was dried using 1-propanol). (b) CLSM maximum intensity projection showing an overlay of the four

The effect of surface anisotropy in the slippery zone of Nepenthes alata pitchers on beetle attachment

• Elena V. Gorb and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 302–310, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.35

• prominent lunate cells and displays continuous epicuticular crystalline wax coverage. The aim of this study was to examine the influence of the surface anisotropy, caused by the shape of lunate cells, on insect attachment ability. Traction tests with ladybird beetles Coccinella septempunctata were performed

• downward pitcher direction, since, in this direction, they could interlock with overhanging edges of lunate cells. Keywords: adhesive pads; claws; Coccinella septempunctata; insect–plant interactions; traction force; Introduction Pitcher-shaped trapping organs produced at the tips of tendrils are

• force. We performed traction tests with ladybird beetles Coccinella septempunctata (L.) in two different experiments on (1) intact pitchers of N. alata Blanco, (2) de-waxed pitchers, and (3) their polymer replicas. Forces on tethered beetles were measured when they walked in the upward (towards the