Mandible mechanical properties and composition of the larval Glossosoma boltoni (Trichoptera, Insecta).

ABSTRACT: Insect feeding structures, such as mandibles, interact with the ingesta (food or/and substrate) and can be adapted in morphology, composition of material and mechanical properties. The foraging on abrasive ingesta, as on algae covering rocks, is particularly challenging because the mandibles will be prone to wear and structural failure, thus suggesting the presence of mandibular adaptations to accompany this feeding behavior. Adaptations to this are well studied in the mouthparts of molluscs and sea urchins, but for insects there are large gaps in our knowledge. In this study, we investigated the mandibles of a grazing insect, the larvae of the trichopteran Glossosoma boltoni. Using scanning electron microscopy, wear was documented on the mandibles. The highest degree was identified on the

SUBMITTER: Krings W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10897335 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature