Mouthpart adaptations of antlion larvae facilitate prey handling and fluid feeding in sandy habitats

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

9:48 AM – 10:00 AM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 207

Presenting Author(s)

Matthew S. Lehnert

Associate Professor
Kent State University
Clinton, Ohio

Co-Author(s)

AL

Asheesh Lanba

University of Southern Maine
Gorham, Maine
Kristen E. Reiter

Research Assistant
Kent State University
North Canton, Ohio
RF

Rena Fonseca

Kent State University
North Canton, Ohio
JM

Jordan Minninger

Kent State University
North Canton, Ohio
BH

Benjamin Hall

Lasers for Innovative Solutions
University Park, Pennsylvania
WH

Wesley Huff

Lasers for Innovative Solutions
University Park, Pennsylvania

Antlion larvae are fluid-feeding ambush predators that feed on arthropods trapped in their pits built in sandy habitats; however, details are lacking about their feeding mechanism. Here we tested the hypothesis that the antlion, Myrmeleon crudelis, has adaptations that facilitate fluid feeding in sandy habitats. We measured contact angles of water droplets and used the capillary-rise technique to assess mouthpart wettability. A structural organization was discovered that provides a hydrophobic-hydrophilic wetting dichotomy that would simultaneously support self-cleaning and fluid uptake and is enabled by antiparallel movements of the maxillae. The mouthparts also are augmented by their mechanical properties, including maxillae and mandible tips that might be heavily sclerotized, as determined by confocal microscopy, which likely facilitate piercing prey. Our findings provide insight on how antlion larvae have overcome the challenges of fluid feeding in sandy habitats, which likely contributed to their success and widespread distribution.