A self-locking mechanism of the frog-legged beetle Sagra femorata  

作　　者：Le Zong Zonghui Sun Jieliang Zhao Zhengzhong Huang Xiaokun Liu Lei Jiang Congqiao Li Jacob Mulwa Muinde Jianing Wu Xiaolong Wang Hongbin Liang Haoyu Liu Yuxia Yang Siqin Ge 

机构地区：[1]Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Evolution,Institute of Zoology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,China [2]University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,China [3]The Key Laboratory of Zoological Systematics and Application,School of Life Science,Institute of Life Science and Green Development,Hebei University,Baoding,Hebei Province,China [4]Department of Mechanical Engineering,Beijing Institute of Technology,Beijing,China [5]School of Aeronautics and Astronautics,Sun Yat-sen University,Shenzhen,Guangdong Province,China

出　　处：《Insect Science》2024年第6期1864-1875,共12页昆虫科学（英文版）

基　　金：supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32270460);the Third Xinjiang Scientific Expedition Program(No.2021xjkk0605)。

摘　　要：Insect legs play a crucial role in various modes of locomotion,including walking,jumping,swimming,and other forms of movement.The flexibility of their leg joints is critical in enabling various modes of locomotion.The frog-legged leaf beetle Sagra femorata possesses remarkably enlarged hind legs,which are considered to be a critical adaptation that enables the species to withstand external pressures.When confronted with external threats,S.femorata initiates a stress response by rapidly rotating its hind legs backward and upward to a specific angle,thereby potentially intimidating potential assailants.Based on video analysis,we identified 4 distinct phases of the hind leg rotation process in S.femorata,which were determined by the range of rotation angles(0°−168.77°).Utilizing micro-computed tomography(micro-CT)technology,we performed a 3-dimensional(3D)reconstruction and conducted relative positioning and volumetric analysis of the metacoxa and metatrochanter of S.femorata.Our analysis revealed that the metacoxa–trochanter joint is a“screw-nut”structure connected by 4 muscles,which regulate the rotation of the legs.Further testing using a 3D-printed model of the metacoxa–trochanter joint demonstrated its possession of a self-locking mechanism capable of securing the legs in specific positions to prevent excessive rotation and dislocation.It can be envisioned that this self-locking mechanism holds potential for application in bio-inspired robotics.

关 键 词：coxa leg joints MICRO-CT Sagra femorata SELF-LOCKING trochanter 

分 类 号：Q96[生物学—昆虫学]