Ontogeny of a tessellated surface: Carapace growth of the longhorn cowfish Lactoria cornuta.

ABSTRACT: Biological armors derive their mechanical integrity in part from their geometric architectures, often involving tessellations: individual structural elements tiled together to form surface shells. The carapace of boxfish, for example, is composed of mineralized polygonal plates, called scutes, arranged in a complex geometric pattern and nearly completely encasing the body. In contrast to artificial armors, the boxfish exoskeleton grows with the fish; the relationship between the tessellation and the gross structure of the armor is therefore critical to sustained protection throughout growth. To clarify whether or how the boxfish tessellation is maintained or altered with age, we quantify architectural aspects of the tessellated carapace of the longhorn cowfish Lactoria cornuta through onto

SUBMITTER: Eigen L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9358767 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature