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Sophisticated suction organs from insects living in raging torrents: Morphology and ultrastructure of the attachment devices of net-winged midge larvae (Diptera: Blephariceridae)

View ORCID ProfileVictor Kang, View ORCID ProfileRichard Johnston, View ORCID ProfileThomas van de Kamp, Tomáš Faragó, Walter Federle
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/666537
Victor Kang
aDepartment of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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  • For correspondence: kwk22@cam.ac.uk
Richard Johnston
bCollege of Engineering, Swansea University, Wales, United Kingdom
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Thomas van de Kamp
cLaboratory for Applications of Synchrotron Radiation (LAS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Kaiserstr. 12, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
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Tomáš Faragó
dInstitute for Photon Science and Synchrotron Radiation (IPS), Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Hermann-von-Helmholtz-Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
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Walter Federle
aDepartment of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
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2. Abstract

Suction organs provide powerful yet dynamic attachments for many aquatic animals, including octopus, squid, remora, and clingfish. While the functional morphology of suction organs from various cephalopods and fishes has been investigated in detail, there are only few studies on such attachment devices in insects. Here we characterise the morphology, ultrastructure, and in vivo movements of the suction attachment organs of net-winged midge larvae (genus Liponeura) – aquatic insects that live on rocks in rapid alpine waterways where flow rates can reach 3 m s-1 – using scanning electron microscopy, laser confocal scanning microscopy, and X-ray computed micro-tomography (micro-CT). We identified structural adaptations important for the function of the suction attachment organs from L. cinerascens and L. cordata. First, a dense array of spine-like microtrichia covering each suction disc comes into contact with the substrate upon attachment. Similar hairy structures have been found on the contact zones of suction organs from octopus, clingfish, and remora fish. These structures are thought to contribute to the seal and to provide increased shear force resistance in high-drag environments. Second, specialised rim microtrichia at the suction disc periphery form a continuous ring in close contact with a surface and may serve as a seal on a variety of surfaces. Third, a V-shaped cut on the suction disc (the V-notch) is actively peeled open via two cuticular apodemes inserting into its flanks. The apodemes are attached to dedicated V-notch opening muscles, thereby providing a unique detachment mechanism. The complex cuticular design of the suction organs, along with specialised muscles that attach to them, allows blepharicerid larvae to generate powerful attachments which can withstand strong hydrodynamic forces and quickly detach for locomotion. Our findings could be applied to bio-inspired attachment devices that perform well on a wide range of surfaces.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
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Posted June 13, 2019.
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Sophisticated suction organs from insects living in raging torrents: Morphology and ultrastructure of the attachment devices of net-winged midge larvae (Diptera: Blephariceridae)
Victor Kang, Richard Johnston, Thomas van de Kamp, Tomáš Faragó, Walter Federle
bioRxiv 666537; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/666537
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Sophisticated suction organs from insects living in raging torrents: Morphology and ultrastructure of the attachment devices of net-winged midge larvae (Diptera: Blephariceridae)
Victor Kang, Richard Johnston, Thomas van de Kamp, Tomáš Faragó, Walter Federle
bioRxiv 666537; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/666537

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