An insect trap as habitat:: cohesion-failure mechanism prevents adhesion of Pameridea roridulae bugs to the sticky surface of the plant Roridula gorgonias

The glandular trichomes of the plant Roridula gorgonias release an extremely adhesive, visco-elastic, resinous secretion that traps a variety of insects, including those having a considerable body size. However, the specialized mutualistic mirid bug Pameridea roridulae lives and walks on this sticky plant surface without being trapped. We have sought to reveal the mechanism underlying the apparent non-sticky nature of the cuticle of this bug. In this study, we have visualized intact plant and insect surfaces using cryo-scanning electron microscopy and measured the adhesive properties of the plant secretion on different surfaces. We present a combination of structural and experimental results that suggest that a thick and cohesively weak film of an outermost, epicuticular greasy secretion acts as a 'sloughing-off' layer, preventing the formation of contacts between the sticky plant secretion and the solid insect cuticle. In a comparative study of fresh cuticle fractures of flies representing a typical prey of R. gorgonias, a thin, fragmentary layer of epicuticular grease was revealed. These results indicate that, when trapping prey, the plant adhesive might form proper contact with solid islands of the insect cuticle that are free of epicuticular grease.