Six-legged-bound: a newly described insect gait
Locomotor behaviour is a hallmark of animal biology and ecology. Mole crickets constitute a unique group of subterranean insects that present extreme morphological and behavioural adaptations. They therefore present a valuable model for locomotion-related research. Despite their remarkable leg-morph...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
The Royal Society
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Royal Society Open Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.250143 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849683246425571328 |
|---|---|
| author | Avi Amir O. Yuval Amir Ayali |
| author_facet | Avi Amir O. Yuval Amir Ayali |
| author_sort | Avi Amir |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Locomotor behaviour is a hallmark of animal biology and ecology. Mole crickets constitute a unique group of subterranean insects that present extreme morphological and behavioural adaptations. They therefore present a valuable model for locomotion-related research. Despite their remarkable leg-morphology adaptations, mole crickets mostly demonstrate the common insect double-tripod gait for locomotion. Here we report, however, that in response to an aversive stimulus from the front, the mole cricket will consistently adopt a unique backwards gait that we have termed ‘backward-bound’. Our temporal and spatial analysis shows that this previously unreported six-legged gait comprises a cyclic alternation between the middle and hind-leg pairs with rarely observed (in insects) left–right in-phase synchronization, while the front legs display noisy and less-consistent phase dynamics. This exceptional gait is transient and is replaced by regular backwards walking after several cycles. It is employed to distance the animal quickly from danger. A gait that can be characterized as ‘forward-bound’ is also displayed by the mole cricket, albeit for a much shorter duration (up to two cycles). |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d14277f5f30740aea2a76d913496bbd5 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2054-5703 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | The Royal Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Royal Society Open Science |
| spelling | doaj-art-d14277f5f30740aea2a76d913496bbd52025-08-20T03:23:57ZengThe Royal SocietyRoyal Society Open Science2054-57032025-06-0112610.1098/rsos.250143Six-legged-bound: a newly described insect gaitAvi Amir0O. Yuval1Amir Ayali2School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelSchool of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelSchool of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, IsraelLocomotor behaviour is a hallmark of animal biology and ecology. Mole crickets constitute a unique group of subterranean insects that present extreme morphological and behavioural adaptations. They therefore present a valuable model for locomotion-related research. Despite their remarkable leg-morphology adaptations, mole crickets mostly demonstrate the common insect double-tripod gait for locomotion. Here we report, however, that in response to an aversive stimulus from the front, the mole cricket will consistently adopt a unique backwards gait that we have termed ‘backward-bound’. Our temporal and spatial analysis shows that this previously unreported six-legged gait comprises a cyclic alternation between the middle and hind-leg pairs with rarely observed (in insects) left–right in-phase synchronization, while the front legs display noisy and less-consistent phase dynamics. This exceptional gait is transient and is replaced by regular backwards walking after several cycles. It is employed to distance the animal quickly from danger. A gait that can be characterized as ‘forward-bound’ is also displayed by the mole cricket, albeit for a much shorter duration (up to two cycles).https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.250143insectsgaitsmole cricketlocomotionin-phase synchronization |
| spellingShingle | Avi Amir O. Yuval Amir Ayali Six-legged-bound: a newly described insect gait Royal Society Open Science insects gaits mole cricket locomotion in-phase synchronization |
| title | Six-legged-bound: a newly described insect gait |
| title_full | Six-legged-bound: a newly described insect gait |
| title_fullStr | Six-legged-bound: a newly described insect gait |
| title_full_unstemmed | Six-legged-bound: a newly described insect gait |
| title_short | Six-legged-bound: a newly described insect gait |
| title_sort | six legged bound a newly described insect gait |
| topic | insects gaits mole cricket locomotion in-phase synchronization |
| url | https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.250143 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT aviamir sixleggedboundanewlydescribedinsectgait AT oyuval sixleggedboundanewlydescribedinsectgait AT amirayali sixleggedboundanewlydescribedinsectgait |