... conditions the role of water-repellent cuticle structures in oxygen supply in caterpillars of M. castrensis submerged in water. For this purpose, air-layer stability tests using force measurements, and micromorphology of cuticle structures using SEM and fluorescence microscopy, were performed. A plastron...

... are the effective boundary layer thicknesses in real insects and spiders? One approach is to calculate boundary layer thickness from individual species of true plastron insects that are known to be able to remain indefinitely in water ( Table 1 ). This indicates thicknesses ranging between 119 and 795 μm. Thick...

...: how to breathe underwater with respiratory systems evolved for use in air? Hydrophobic surfaces on their bodies possess gas films that act as a ‘physical gill’ to collect O 2 when underwater and thus sustain respiration. In aquatic insects, this feature/process has been termed ‘plastron respiration...