CHARLES HEDGCOCK, © WENDY MOORE
The coordinated movements of two chambers within the gland of a species of bombardier beetles (Brachinus elongatulus) allow the insects to effortlessly spray rapid pulses of noxious irritants, according to a study published today (May 1) in Science.
The hundreds of species of bombardier beetle are named for their defense mechanism, which involves shooting a boiling stream of toxic p-benzoquinones at up to 10 meters (33 feet) per second from a gland in their rear. Inside the beetles’ bodies, the gland consists of two chambers separated by a valve. One is a flexible reservoir containing the raw materials to make the explosive compounds, while the reaction chamber, reinforced with chitin and waxes, contains the enzymes that turn the chemicals into a toxic weapon. When a ...
