Meeting Abstract
The stink bug Halyomorpha halys is a pentatomid hemipteran characterized by a broad flat shield-like body. This morphology could constrain the methods by which H. halys rights itself. Beetles have been shown to right themselves using several mechanisms, but it is unknown if pentatomids show a similar variation in kinematics. Thus, how does a stink bug right itself? To address this question we used two high-speed cameras to capture the righting response of H. halys from both the top and lateral views and then quanitified kinematic and timing variables describing the movement. We found that H. halys primarily turns over via a forward flip (rather than a lateral roll or backward flip). Our preliminary results suggest that the movement can be broken up into two phases, a force generation phase (75% duration) and a falling phase (25% duration). At the start of the first phase H. halys’s hindmost pair of legs are spread wide and positioned anteriorly with the tarsal segments contacting the substrate. H. halys initiates movement by lifting its abdomen before positioning it against the substrate creating a tripod of support between the legs and the abdomen. As H. halys is positioning its abdomen it starts to elevate the anterior region of its body off the substrate and pivot forward, decreasing its stance width as it does so. When H. halys becomes perpendicular to the ground the second phase is initiated. During the second phase H. halys’s body falls forward onto its ventral surface. Hemipterans are a very diverse group and it is unknown how variation in body shape may affect their righting mechanisms. Investigating how different body shapes solve locomotor challenges, like righting oneself, is useful in understanding how locomotor contraints may by conferred by a particular morphology.
