You can't squish this 'iron' beetle. Now, scientists know why
"Diabolical ironclad beetles are almost unbreakable — you can smack them, stomp on them or run them over with a car, & they'll scamper away uncrushed.
Now, scientists know why these beetles' outer wing cases, known as elytra, are so tough — they're made up of a series of smoothly interlocking puzzle parts; the geometry & internal structure of this 'jigsaw' design increase the strength of the beetle's armor.
Ironclad beetles (Phloeodes diabolicus) measure about 0.6 to 1 inch (15 to 25 mm) in length, & are found in woodland habitats in western North America, where they live under tree bark. Though their ancestors could fly, ironclad beetles lost their flight capabilities long ago, and their elytra are fused together, forming a crush-resistant shield...
Microscopic analysis of exoskeleton cross-sections showed lateral support structures that made some parts of the elytra stiffer than others, to distribute weight uniformly over the beetle's back & protect its organs. And further reinforcement came from the seam where the elytra fused together.
In the ironclad beetle's flying relatives, the elytra notch together in 'a tongue-&-groove design,' allowing them to smoothly open, close, & release the lower wings for flight... But in ironclad beetles, the fused elytra fit together like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle along the length of the insect's abdomen. The protruding parts of these interlocking pieces, called blades, also distribute stress across the exoskeleton, preventing it from cracking...
Revealing the biological architecture that makes ironclad beetle exoskeletons near-uncrushable could help engineers design structures that are more impact-resistant..."
Oct. 21/2020
livescience.com
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