Jumping and kicking in the false stick insect Prosarthria teretrirostris: kinematics and motor control

摘要

The false stick insect Prosarthria teretrirostris looks and behaves like a real stick insect but can jump and kick rapidly and powerfully like a locust, to which it is more closely related. It has an elongated body with slender hind legs that are some 2.5 times longer than the front and middle legs. A male with a body 67 mm long and weighing 0.28 g can jump 90 cm with a take-off angle of 40degrees and velocity of 2.5 ms(-1), requiring an energy expenditure of 850 muJ. The body is accelerated at 165 m s(-2) for only 30 ms. The larger and heavier females (mean body length 104 mm and weighing 1.5 g) can jump on average a distance of 49 cm.