Schmalhausen-Institute of Zoology, B. Chmielnicki Str. 15, 01601 Kiev-30, Ukraine.
J Insect Physiol. 2012 Jan;58(1):24-34. doi: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2011.09.010. Epub 2011 Sep 21.
Transient movements of the elytra (opening and closing) were filmed in beetles tethered from below. A total of 39 specimens of 18 species representing 11 families were examined. Bright markers glued to the elytra were traced frame by frame. Body-fixed 3D traces of apical and shoulder markers were reconstructed. Shapes of traces reflected different steps of elytral movement and different types of flight. Flat circular arcs were fitted to scattered traces using the least square method. The rotation axis of the apical marker was always directed at the contralateral side. The trace of the shoulder marker was, as a rule, non-parallel to the apical trace. Usually, the shoulder marker on the costal edge of the elytron uniformly supinated in the course of adduction of the apical marker. Traces of opening and closing coincided, hence the double rotation of the elytron had one degree of freedom. The elytron to body articulation in beetles is, presumably, a spherical mechanism with two separate but linked drives for a broad swing during opening (closing).
我们对系在下方的甲虫进行了拍摄，以记录其鞘翅（开合）的瞬间运动。共检查了 18 个物种的 39 个标本，这些物种代表了 11 个科。用胶水将明亮的标记粘在鞘翅上，然后逐帧追踪。重建了固定在身体上的顶点和肩部标记的 3D 轨迹。轨迹的形状反映了鞘翅运动的不同阶段和不同类型的飞行。使用最小二乘法将分散的轨迹拟合为扁平的圆弧。顶点标记的旋转轴始终指向对侧。肩部标记的轨迹通常与顶点轨迹不平行。通常，在顶点标记的向内运动过程中，鞘翅缘上的肩部标记均匀地外旋。开合轨迹重合，因此鞘翅的双重旋转有一个自由度。甲虫的鞘翅与身体的关节可能是一个具有两个独立但相连的驱动装置的球形机构，用于在打开（关闭）过程中进行宽摆运动。
