Dipartimento di Scienze Agrarie, Alimentari e Ambientali, University of Perugia, Borgo XX Giugno 74, Perugia 06121, Italy.
Dipartimento di Chimica, Biologia e Biotecnologie, University of Perugia, Via Elce di Sotto 8, Perugia 06121, Italy.
Zoology (Jena). 2024 Jul;165:126181. doi: 10.1016/j.zool.2024.126181. Epub 2024 May 31.
Climbing animals such as geckos and arthropods developed astonishing adhesive mechanisms which are fundamental for their survival and represent valuable models for biomimetic purposes. A firm adhesion to the host surface, in order to successfully lay eggs is necessary for the reproduction of most parasitoid insects. In the present study, we performed a comparative investigation on the attachment ability of four parasitoid species (the egg parasitoid Anastatus bifasciatus (Eupelmidae), the aphid parasitoid Aphidius ervi (Braconidae), the fly pupal ectoparasitoid Muscidifurax raptorellus (Pteromalidae) and the pupal parasitoid of Drosophila Trichopria drosophilae (Diapriidae)) with hosts characterized by a surface having different wettability properties. The friction force measurements were performed on smooth artificial (glass) surfaces showing different contact angles of water. We found that attachment systems of parasitoid insects are tuned to match the wettability of the host surface. Sexual dimorphism in the attachment ability of some tested species has been also observed. The obtained results are probably related to different microstructure and chemical composition of the host surfaces and to different chemical composition of the parasitoid adhesive fluid. The data here presented can be interpreted as an adaptation, especially in the female, to the physicochemical properties of the host surface and contribute to shed light on the coevolutionary processes of parasitoid insects and their hosts.
攀爬动物，如壁虎和节肢动物，发展出了令人惊讶的粘附机制，这些机制对它们的生存至关重要，也是仿生学的宝贵模型。为了成功产卵，大多数寄生性昆虫都需要在宿主表面牢固地附着，以完成繁殖。在本研究中，我们对四种寄生性昆虫（卵寄生蜂双斑恩蚜小蜂（金小蜂科）、蚜虫寄生蜂暗黑赤眼蜂（缨翅目）、蝇蛹外寄生蜂猛禽褶翅小蜂（姬蜂科）和果蝇蛹寄生蜂双翅斯氏潜蝇茧蜂（小蜂科））的附着能力进行了比较研究，这些寄生性昆虫的宿主具有不同的润湿性表面特性。在具有不同水接触角的光滑人工（玻璃）表面上进行了摩擦力测量。我们发现，寄生性昆虫的附着系统是为了适应宿主表面的润湿性而调整的。一些测试物种的附着能力存在性别二态性。所获得的结果可能与宿主表面的不同微观结构和化学成分以及寄生性昆虫粘性液体的不同化学成分有关。这里呈现的数据可以被解释为一种适应，特别是在雌性昆虫中，适应宿主表面的物理化学特性，并有助于揭示寄生性昆虫与其宿主的共同进化过程。
