| Onymacris unguicularis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Family: | Tenebrionidae |
| Genus: | Onymacris |
| Species: | O. unguicularis |
| Binomial name | |
| Onymacris unguicularis Haag, 1875 | |
Onymacris unguicularis, the head-stander beetle, also known generically as Toktokkies, is a species of fog basking darkling beetle that is native to the Namib Desert of southern Africa. Native to a arid zone but a region that receives a morning fog, the beetle is nicknamed the "head-stander" beetle for its habit of tipping its head downward and using its legs and the rest of its body to direct dew that condenses on its elytra and runs along the lateral ridges towards the mouth.
The description of Onymacris and its fog basking behavior was first made in 1976.[1] The species has trehalose and glycerol in its body fluid which may be adaptations to low temperature that the beetles can be exposed to at night. Another species O. bicolor has also been confirmed to use fog basking adaptations. Several other species that have been claimed to use fog-basking including Physosterna cribripes and Stenocara gracilipes however have been debated. The idea of harvesting atmospheric moisture from early morning dew in many parts of the world using special materials has been widely utilized.[2]
References
- ↑ Hamilton, William J.; Seely, Mary K. (1976). "Fog basking by the Namib Desert beetle, Onymacris unguicularis". Nature. 262 (5566): 284–285. doi:10.1038/262284a0. S2CID 4192150.
- ↑ Mitchell, Duncan; Henschel, Joh R.; Hetem, Robyn S.; Wassenaar, Theo D.; Strauss, W. Maartin; Hanrahan, Shirley A.; Seely, Mary K. (2020). "Fog and fauna of the Namib Desert: past and future". Ecosphere. 11 (1). doi:10.1002/ecs2.2996. ISSN 2150-8925.