Behavioural function and development of body-to-limb proportions and active movement ranges in three stick insect species.

ABSTRACT: Overall body proportions and relative limb length are highly characteristic for most insect taxa. In case of the legs, limb length has mostly been discussed with regard to parameters of locomotor performance and, in particular cases, as an adaptation to environmental factors or to the mating system. Here, we compare three species of stick and leaf insects (Phasmatodea) that differ strongly in the length ratio between antennae and walking legs, with the antennae of Medauroidea extradentata being much shorter than its legs, nearly equal length of antennae and legs in Carausius morosus, and considerably longer antennae than front legs in Aretaon asperrimus. We show that that relative limb length is directly related to the near-range exploration effort, with complementary function of the anten

SUBMITTER: Durr V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10006035 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature