Attachment Devices of Insect Cuticle

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

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2. Friction and adhesion: fundamentals

   Pages 1-8

3. Insect cuticle: structure and properties of the material

   Pages 9-19

4. Cuticular protuberances of insects

   Pages 21-36

5. Principles of cuticular attachment in Arthropoda

   Pages 37-75

6. Frictional systems

   Pages 77-88

7. Dragonfly and damselfly head-arresting system

   Pages 89-100

8. Intersegmental frictional devices

   Pages 101-122

9. Wing-locking devices

   Pages 123-134

10. Attachment pads

    Pages 135-175

11. Secretions in frictional systems

    Pages 177-196

12. Protuberances and their fields

    Pages 197-212

13. Sensory equipment

    Pages 213-220

14. The evolution of frictional systems

    Pages 221-234

15. Ecological implications

    Pages 235-251

16. Nature’s design as a basis for biomimetics

    Pages 253-262

17. Back Matter

    Pages 263-305

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In 1974 when I published my book, Biological Mechanism of Attachment, not many pages were required to report on the attachment devices of insect cuticles. As in most fields of research, our knowledge on this specific subject has simply exploded. Dr. Stanislav N. Gorb now describes the present day level of our knowledge, to which he has personally contributed so much, and a research team working on biological microtribology has gradually developed, also. With modern methods of measurement it is possible to enter the structure – function relationship much more deeply, even down to a molecular level, which was not possible two and a half decades ago. It is a well known fact that, in biology, the more sophisticated the measuring method, the greater the achievement of biological fundamental research, and its resulting evidence. Our knowledge remains at a certain level until new methods once more permit a forward leap. Biological knowledge develops in the form of a stepped curve rather than linear, as reflected in the studies carried out on the attachment devices of insect cuticles.

• Arthropoda
• attachment devices
• biological attachment
• damselfly
• design
• dragonfly
• insect
• insect cuticle
• Entomology

From the reviews:

`This is an excellent introduction to biological attachment and will be of interest to biologist, especially entomologist, materials scientist and engineers.'
Entomofauna Zeitschrift Für Entomologie, 23, 2:13-28

"This recently published ‘big review’ in book form is a logical step. … The result is a concise book which is well written and based on the personal experiences of the author. Simplicity is a big advantage as there are too many examples … . It is of interest not only for biologists (including molecular biologists), zoologists, entomologists and ecologists, but also for specialists from material science and engineers. … I recommend this book to all students and scientists … ." (F. Weyda, European Journal of Entomology, Vol. 102, 2005)