The origin of black and white coloration of the Asian tiger mosquito Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

• Manuela Rebora,
• Gianandrea Salerno,
• Silvana Piersanti,
• Alexander Kovalev and
• Stanislav N. Gorb

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2023, 14, 496–508, doi:10.3762/bjnano.14.41

• SEM reveal that the body of Ae. albopictus is covered with scales and microtrichia (Figure 2). Scales of different shape are present on different body parts. Spatulate scales are the most common kind of scales. They are found on the thorax (Figure 2a,b), wings (Figure 2c), halters (Figure 2d), head

• which is totally white. Ti, tibia. Aedes albopictus (female) in a cryo-SEM. (a) Lateral view of the thorax of Ae. albopictus covered with scales and microtrichia. (b) Detail of (a) showing microtrichia (M) and scales (S) with their articulated insertion (arrow) in the cuticle. (c–g) Scales with

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

• substrates: hairy (setose) pads and smooth pads. Next, we will focus on the attachment systems used for terrestrial locomotion. Hairy pads are covered with setae, acanthae and microtrichia [33], fine cuticular surface outgrowths which, due to their small size and flexibility, can maximise the extent of

A new bioinspired method for pressure and flow sensing based on the underwater air-retaining surface of the backswimmer Notonecta

• Matthias Mail,
• Adrian Klein,
• Horst Bleckmann,
• Anke Schmitz,
• Torsten Scherer,
• Peter T. Rühr,
• Goran Lovric,
• Robin Fröhlingsdorf,
• Stanislav N. Gorb and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 3039–3047, doi:10.3762/bjnano.9.282

• Notonecta use to maintain this air layer while submerged, Ditsche-Kuru et al. [12] investigated the micro- and nanostructure of the hemelytra of Notonecta glauca. They found that the upper side of the hemelytra is hierarchically structured by two types of setae and many microtrichia. One type of setae is

• on the surface of the hemelytra is caused by the total reflection of light at the air–water interface. b) Colored SEM-image of the surface of the hemelytra of a backswimmer. Two types of setae (“clubs” are yellow and “pins” are grey) and a “carpet” of short, densely packed “microtrichia” stabilize

• interface and the position of the club-setae and the microtrichia are visible. e) Cross section at the same position at a pressure of 180 mbar. The air layer is compressed and the air–water interface is lying on the microtrichia. The clubs are deflected towards the surface. Proposed Notonecta forewing

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

• , 1773). On the ventral side (VS) of the elytra, the microtrichia show a transitional structure from the lateral edge to the medial edge. On the hindwing surface, the folded regions were observed on both the dorsal side (DS) and the VS. On the abdomen, the microtrichia between the abdominal segments show

• a cyclical change from sparse to dense in each segment in the middle of the abdomen. Furthermore, the different directions of microtrichia that lead to self-locking friction on the surfaces of the hindwing, elytron and abdomen appear to facilitate interlocking. A model for the interlocking of the

• hindwings of the H. axyridis was established, and its underlying mechanism is discussed. Keywords: anti-wetting; folding process; interlocking mechanism; micro air vehicles; microtrichia; Introduction Insect wings have many properties, such as lightness, thinness, high flexibility and high load capacity

Superhydrophobic surfaces of the water bug Notonecta glauca: a model for friction reduction and air retention

• Petra Ditsche-Kuru,
• Erik S. Schneider,
• Jan-Erik Melskotte,
• Martin Brede,
• Alfred Leder and
• Wilhelm Barthlott

Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2011, 2, 137–144, doi:10.3762/bjnano.2.17

• gaps (underside of elytra) or even vanished completely after a few days (sternites). Moreover, the upper side of the elytra was able to keep an air film up to flow velocities of 5 m/s. Obviously the complex surface structure with tiny dense microtrichia and two types of larger specially shaped setae is

• through water, but most of the time it supports itself from underneath against the water surface with both pairs of fore legs and the tip of the abdomen [26]. The surface of the elytra is covered by a hierarchical structure of larger setae and very small microtrichia. Balmert et al. hypothesized that the

• dense microtrichia cover is relevant for the high air film persistence of the elytra measured under hydrostatic conditions [24]. In the present study we will prove this assumption by comparing the different structures on the body parts of Notonecta. Moreover, we measure the persistence of the air film