Morphology of tarsal hairs in <i>O. smaragdina</i> ants and generated friction forces.

Abstract

<p>(A) Morphology of hairs on the underside of the tarsus. Ta4 & Ta5: 4^th & 5^th tarsomere, respectively; Cl: Claws; Ar: Arolium; (B) Friction forces of tarsal hairs on a smooth and a rough substrate. Slides were performed in the pulling and pushing direction with a constant normal load of 30, 60 and 100 μN. The dashed line indicates the ants’ body weight (82 μN).</p