Evolution of mantis shrimp telson armour and its role in ritualized fighting.

ABSTRACT: Mantis shrimp possess both formidable weapons and impact-resistant armour that clash during ritualized combat. The telson is one of few biological structures known to withstand the repeated high impact forces of smashing mantis shrimp strikes, and it is hypothesized that this pairing of armour and weapon is associated with the evolution of telson sparring. We carried out a comparative analysis of telson impact mechanics across 15 mantis shrimp species to assess if the telsons of sparring species (i) are consistently specialized for impact-resistance, (ii) are more impact-resistant than those of non-sparring species, and (iii) have impact parameters that correlate with body size, and thereby useful for assessment. Our data from ball drop tests show that the telsons of all species function l

SUBMITTER: Taylor JRA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6731505 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature