Jumping of flea beetles onto inclined platforms

Abstract

The flea beetle, Altica cirsicola, escapes predators by jumping and landing in a dense maze of leaves. How do they land on such varied surfaces? In this experimental study, we filmed the take-off, flight, and landing of flea beetles on a configurable angled platform. We report three in-flight behaviors: winged, wingless, and an intermediate winged mode. These modes significantly affected take-off speed, acceleration, and the duration that wings were deployed. When wings were closed, flea beetles rolled or pitched up to five times in the air. This work may help to understand how insects can jump and right themselves onto variable surfaces.