Petal-shaped femoral lobes facilitate gliding in orchid mantises
Petal-shaped femoral lobes facilitate gliding in orchid mantises
复制标题
DOI：
10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.003
复制
发表时间：
2024-01-08
期刊：
影响因子：
9.2
通讯作者：
Chen，Zhanqi
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Zhao，Xin;Liu，Jing-Xin;Chen，Zhanqi
树栖脊椎动物进化出各种皮肤衍生的空气动力学结构，如翼膜或蹼，但没有报道无翅的树栖节肢动物的类似结构。1，2，3兰花螳螂（Hyatrius coronatus）由于其高度扩张的花瓣状股叶，200年来一直被传统地认为是模仿花的教科书。然而，证实股叶的花瓣模仿功能的经验证据并不完全具有结论性。4，5，6观察和实验证据表明，这些叶并不有助于引诱传粉者的花朵模仿6，7，并且可能具有其他功能。7，8在观察到它们通过主动跳跃开始的空中逃逸后，我们假设兰花螳螂可以滑翔，它们的股叶用于滑翔。通过行为调查和形态分析，我们发现兰花螳螂是优秀的滑翔者，表现出在陆地无脊椎动物中观察到的最浅的滑翔轨迹。9，10，11，12，13它们股骨段上的叶延伸是弧形翼型，这增加了螳螂投影面积的36%，并在观察到的滑翔的空气动力学基础中发挥了至关重要的作用。尽管在个体发育过程中体重增加了165倍，但年长的雌性螳螂仍保持着持久的滑翔能力。我们进一步表明，由于这些叶的正尺寸异速生长，翼载荷显著减少了40%-56%，表明在整个个体发育过程中明显促进了滑翔。这是第一个文件滑翔适应“腿翅膀”在一个无翅节肢动物。这种结构的演变可能是常见的树栖节肢动物，需要系统的重新检查。
To glide in forest canopies, arboreal vertebrates evolved various skin-derived aerodynamic structures, such as patagial membranes or webbing, but no comparable structure has been reported from wingless arboreal arthropods.1,2,3Orchid mantises (Hymenopus coronatus) have been traditionally considered a textbook example of flower mimicry for ∼200 years due to their highly expanded, petal-shaped femoral lobes. However, the empirical evidence substantiating the petal-mimicry function of the femoral lobes has not been entirely conclusive.4,5,6Observational and experimental evidence suggests that these lobes do not contribute to flower mimicry for luring pollinators6,7and likely serve other functions.7,8After observing their aerial escape initiated with active jumping, we hypothesized that orchid mantises can glide and that their femoral lobes are used for gliding. Through behavioral investigations and morphological analyses, we show that orchid mantis nymphs are excellent gliders, exhibiting the shallowest gliding trajectories observed in terrestrial invertebrates.9,10,11,12,13The lobe extensions on their femoral segments are cambered airfoils, which increase the mantis projected area by ∼36% and play a vital role in the aerodynamic underpinning of the observed gliding. Despite a 165-fold increase in body mass throughout ontogeny, older female mantis nymphs maintained a persistent gliding capability. We further showed a notable 40%–56% reduction in wing loading attributed to the positive size allometry of these lobes, indicating a clear promotion of gliding throughout ontogeny. This is the first documentation of gliding-adapted "leg wings" in a wingless arthropod. The evolution of such structures is potentially common among arboreal arthropods and demands a systematic re-examination.