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First published online March 2, 2007
Journal of Experimental Biology 210, 1092-1108 (2007)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2007
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02729

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The extensor tibiae muscle of the stick insect: biomechanical properties of an insect walking leg muscle

Christoph Guschlbauer, Hans Scharstein and Ansgar Büschges^*

Zoological Institute, University of Cologne, Weyertal 119, 50923 Cologne, Germany

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: Ansgar.Bueschges{at}uni-koeln.de)

Accepted 23 January 2007

We investigated the properties of the extensor tibiae muscle of the stick insect (Carausius morosus) middle leg. Muscle geometry of the middle leg was compared to that of the front and hind legs and to the flexor tibiae, respectively. The mean length of the extensor tibiae fibres is 1.41±0.23 mm and flexor fibres are 2.11±0.30 mm long. The change of fibre length with joint angle was measured and closely follows a cosine function. Its amplitude gives effective moment arm lengths of 0.28±0.02 mm for the extensor and 0.56±0.04 mm for the flexor. Resting extensor tibiae muscle passive tonic force increased from 2 to 5 mN in the maximum femur–tibia (FT)-joint working range when stretched by ramps.

Active muscle properties were measured with simultaneous activation (up to 200 pulses s^–1) of all three motoneurons innervating the extensor tibiae, because this reflects most closely physiological muscle activation during leg swing. The force–length relationship corresponds closely to the typical characteristic according to the sliding filament hypothesis: it has a plateau at medium fibre lengths, declines nearly linearly in force at both longer and shorter fibre lengths, and the muscle's working range lies in the short to medium fibre length range. Maximum contraction velocity showed a similar relationship. The force–velocity relationship was the traditional Hill curve hyperbola, but deviated from the hyperbolic shape in the region of maximum contraction force close to the isometric contraction.

Step-like changes in muscle length induced by loaded release experiments characterised the non-linear series elasticity as a quadratic spring.

Key words: pinnate insect muscle, muscle properties, contraction dynamics

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