Extensive collection of femtoliter pad secretion droplets in beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata allows nanoliter microrheology

TL;DR

This study investigates the rheological properties of beetle pad secretion, revealing it as a highly viscous liquid that influences insect adhesion and locomotion, using innovative collection and microrheology techniques for tiny sample volumes.

Contribution

First experimental measurement of beetle pad secretion rheology using micrometric collection and bead motion analysis, revealing a purely viscous, high-viscosity fluid.

Findings

Secretion behaves as a high-viscosity Newtonian fluid.

Viscosity measurements align with insect walking dynamics.

No complex fluid behavior observed in the secretion.

Abstract

Pads of beetles are covered with long, deformable setae, each ending in a micrometric terminal plate coated with secretory fluid. It was recently shown that the layer of the pad secretion covering the terminal plates is responsible for the generation of strong attractive forces. However, less is known about the fluid itself because it is produced in extremely small quantity. We here present a first experimental investigation of the rheological properties of the pad secretion in the Colorado potato beetle {\it Leptinotarsa decemlineata}. Because the secretion is produced in an extremely small amount at the level of the terminal plate, we first develop a procedure based on capillary effects to collect the secretion. We then manage to incorporate micrometric beads, initially in the form of a dry powder, and record their thermal motion to determine the mechanical properties of the surrounding medium. We achieve such a quantitative measurement within the collected volume, much smaller than the $1 {\rm \mu}$l sample volume usually required for this technique. Surprisingly, the beetle secretion was found to behave as a purely viscous liquid, of high viscosity. This suggests that no specific complex fluid behaviour is needed during beetle locomotion. We build a scenario for the contact formation between the spatula at the setal tip and a substrate, during the insect walk. We show that the attachment dynamics of the insect pad computed from the high measured viscosity is in good agreement with observed insect pace. We finally discuss the consequences of the secretion viscosity on the insect adhesion.