QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

First published online August 8, 2008
Journal of Experimental Biology 211, 2576-2583 (2008)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2008
doi: 10.1242/jeb.020164

This Article Figures Only Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Related articles in JEB Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Müller, M. Articles by Schmitz, H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Müller, M. Articles by Schmitz, H. Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

Micromechanical properties of consecutive layers in specialized insect cuticle: the gula of Pachnoda marginata (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) and the infrared sensilla of Melanophila acuminata (Coleoptera, Buprestidae)

Martin Müller¹, Maciej Olek², Michael Giersig² and Helmut Schmitz^1,*

¹ Institute for Zoology, University of Bonn, Poppelsdorfer Schloss, D-53115 Bonn, Germany
² Forschungszentrum caesar, Ludwig-Erhardt-Allee 2, D-53175 Bonn, Germany

^* Author for correspondence (h.schmitz{at}uni-bonn.de)

Accepted 10 June 2008

Insect cuticle is a highly adaptive material that fulfils a wide spectrum of different functions. Cuticle does not only build the exoskeleton with diverse moveable parts but is also an important component of a stunning variety of mechanosensory receptors. Therefore, the mechanical properties of these specialized cuticular systems are of crucial importance. We studied the different cuticular layers of the head part (gula) of the head-to-neck ball articulation of Pachnoda marginata and of the photomechanic infrared (IR) sensilla of Melanophila acuminata on the basis of cross sections. In our study, we combined histological methods (i.e. detection of the different types of cuticle by specific staining) with measurements of hardness (H) and reduced elastic modulus (E_r) by nanoindentation technique. In the gula of Pachnoda we found an unusual aberrance from the well-known layering. Between the epi- and exocuticle, two meso- and one endocuticular layers are deposited which are softer and more elastic than the underlying exo- and mesocuticular layers. The hardest of all examined materials is the cuticle of the exocuticular shell of the internal sphere of the Melanophila IR sensillum with H=0.53GPa whereas the inner mesocuticular core of the sensillum represents the most elastic and softest layer with values of H=0.29GPa and E_r=4.8GPa. Results are discussed with regard to the proposed functions.

Key words: insect cuticle, mechanical property, articulation, nanoindentation, atomic force microscopy, infrared receptor

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?

Related articles in JEB:

BEETLES `HEAR' HEAT THROUGH PRESSURE VESSELS

Kathryn Phillips
JEB 2008 211: i. [Full Text]  

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Phillips BEETLES `HEAR' HEAT THROUGH PRESSURE VESSELS J. Exp. Biol., August 15, 2008; 211(16): i - ii. [Full Text] [PDF]