Investigation of hindwing folding in ladybird beetles by artificial elytron transplantation and microcomputed tomography
Abstract
Hindwings in ladybird beetles successfully achieve compatibility between the deformability (instability) required for wing folding and strength property (stability) required for flying. This study demonstrates how ladybird beetles address these two conflicting requirements by an unprecedented technique using artificial wings. Our results, which clarify the detailed wing-folding process and reveal the supporting structures, provide indispensable initial knowledge for revealing this naturally evolved optimization system. Investigating the characteristics in the venations and crease patterns revealed in this study could provide an innovative designing method, enabling the integration of structural stability and deformability, and thus could have a considerable impact on engineering science.
- Publication:
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
- Pub Date:
- May 2017
- DOI:
- 10.1073/pnas.1620612114
- Bibcode:
- 2017PNAS..114.5624S
- Keywords:
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- aerospace engineering;
- biomimetics;
- Coccinella;
- Coleoptera;
- deployable structure