Comparative Material and Mechanical Properties among Cicada Mouthparts: Cuticle Enhanced with Inorganic Elements Facilitates Piercing through Woody Stems for Feeding.

ABSTRACT: Adult cicadas pierce woody stems with their mouthparts to feed on xylem, suggesting the presence of cuticular adaptations that could increase hardness and elastic modulus. We tested the following hypotheses: (a) the mouthpart cuticle includes inorganic elements, which augment the mechanical properties; (b) these elements are abundant in specific mouthpart structures and regions responsible for piercing wood; (c) there are correlations among elements, which could provide insights into patterns of element colocalization. We used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to investigate mouthpart morphology and quantify the elemental composition of the cuticle among four cicada species, including periodical cicadas (Magicicada sp.). Nanoindentatio

SUBMITTER: Reiter KE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9953083 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature