it closes its elytra while the two pairs of the structures are tightly interlocked together to make the exoskeleton so indestructible. The insect may have evolved its wings in a unique way to ...

Early insect collectors became aware of this when ... has evolved crush-resistant forewings (known as elytra), to survive being pecked to death by hungry birds. The researchers used microscopy ...

Imagine the insect's exoskeleton as two halves of a pistachio shell protecting the soft bits inside. The hardened elytra ensconcing its wings are the top half of the shell, and they connect to the ...

many insects can fold their wings against their bodies, minimizing damage risks and interference during ground movement. Beetles, possessing both hardened forewings (elytra) and delicate hindwings ...