High disparity in repellent gland anatomy across major lineages of stick and leaf insects (Insecta: Phasmatodea).

ABSTRACT:

Background

Phasmatodea are well known for their ability to disguise themselves by mimicking twigs, leaves, or bark, and are therefore commonly referred to as stick and leaf insects. In addition to this and other defensive strategies, many phasmatodean species use paired prothoracic repellent glands to release defensive chemicals when disturbed by predators or parasites. These glands are considered as an autapomorphic trait of the Phasmatodea. However, detailed knowledge of the gland anatomy and chemical compounds is scarce and only a few species were studied until now. We investigated the repellent glands for a global sampling of stick and leaf insects that represents all major phasmatodean lineages morphologically via µCT scans and analyzed the anatomical traits in a phylogenetic

SUBMITTER: Niekampf M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10759571 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature