... deposition have shanks reinforced by cuticular thickenings, which serve to prevent the shanks' internal collapse while still maintaining their flexibility. This is important as the spigots occur on the ventral surface of the tarsus, projecting beyond the finely divided setae of the dry attachment pads. We...

...-wuerzburg.de ) 23 9 2003 © The Company of Biologists Limited 2004 2004 friction adhesion attachment tarsus arolium rubber friction Asian Weaver ant Oecophylla smaragdina Many arthropods and vertebrates possess legs with adhesive pads (for a review, see Scherge and Gorb,2001...

..., and (ii) climbing on vertical (plant) surfaces. Contact angle measurements at the underside of the tarsi have revealed that, irrespective of tarsus width, all the investigated species are well supported by the surface of water while walking on it. The main selective demands driving the widening...