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On the structure of the cuticle of Mecoptera
Author(s) -
HEPBURN H. R.,
FARR J. M.
Publication year - 1975
Publication title -
journal of entomology series a, general entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1365-3032
pISSN - 0047-2409
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-3032.1975.tb00097.x
Subject(s) - chitin , cuticle (hair) , arthropod cuticle , biology , ultrastructure , anatomy , botany , insect , biochemistry , chitosan
The chitin architecture of Mecoptera cuticle is of two kinds: helicoidal and helicoidal preferred with the preferred layers being cross‐plied. Comparison of both systems of terminology currently in use to differentiate the subtypes of cuticle indicates that neither provides much information about the arrangement of chitin within cuticle and that both give information only about the extent of hardening in cuticle. All of the specimens of solid cuticle broken in tension exhibited a similar fracture behaviour in which the exocuticle failed in a brittle manner and the endocuticle failed plastically. The mode of endocuticular failure is dependent upon the arrangement of chitin microfibres within this region. The ultrastructural patterns of chitin microfibres determined by electron microscopy cannot be related to current notions about the phylogenetic interrelationships among Mecoptera and the usefulness of chitin fibre arrangement as a phylogenetic tool remains an open question.