Onymacris unguicularis, also known commonly as the fog-basking beetle, head-stander beetle, or the Toktokkies, is a species of darkling beetle that is native to the Namib Desert of southwestern Africa. At night, during foggy weather, these beetles climb sand dunes and stand on their forelegs in order to capture water droplets as they run down their vertical bodies and into their mouths[1] The behaviour is called "fog-basking" and is unique to Onymacris unguicularis and Onymacris bicolor.
Fog basking was first observed in the O. unguicularis in 1976.[1] The mechanism for this ability is still being discovered, but current research points towards the beetle’s elytra containing some hydrophobic component that can catch water droplets being blown in the wind. The idea of harvesting atmospheric moisture from early morning dew using special materials has been widely utilized in many parts of the world.[2]
This species has very often been confused with Stenocara gracilipes, another species of darkling beetle in the Namib Desert, due to their similar coloration and water capturing behaviour.
^ abHamilton, William J.; Seely, Mary K. (1976). "Fog basking by the Namib Desert beetle, Onymacris unguicularis". Nature. 262 (5566): 284–285. Bibcode:1976Natur.262..284H. doi:10.1038/262284a0. S2CID 4192150.
^Mitchell, Duncan; Henschel, Joh R.; Hetem, Robyn S.; Wassenaar, Theo D.; Strauss, W. Maartin; Hanrahan, Shirley A.; Seely, Mary K. (2020). "Fog and fauna of the Namib Desert: past and future". Ecosphere. 11 (1). Bibcode:2020Ecosp..11E2996M. doi:10.1002/ecs2.2996. ISSN 2150-8925.
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natural temperature differences. Biomimicry studies have shown the Onymacrisunguicularis beetle has the natural ability to perform this task. The Incas were...
are collectively known as "fog beetles". For example, one beetle, Onymacrisunguicularis, has smooth elytrons that cause humidity from the morning fogs to...
diversity in arid environments. One adaptation shown by some (e.g. Onymacrisunguicularis) is the ability to gather water from fog in order to drink. Beutel...
this behavior is seen in the beetle species Carabus insulicola and Onymacrisunguicularis. In the former, the second male to mate with a female is able to...
air's humidity through their cuticles. Some desert insects, such as Onymacrisunguicularis, have evolved to drink substantially from nighttime fog. Amphibians...
may also obtain water from dew (i.e. from humid air without fog). Onymacrisunguicularis, another fog-basking Namib desert beetle Physosterna cribripes,...
[citation needed] Several Namibian Tenebrionids, such as Onymacrisunguicularis and Onymacris bicolor, have evolved a specialised surface on their elytra...
beetle (Onymacrisunguicularis) and the button beetle or trench-digging beetle (Lepidochora discoidalis). The "fog-basking" beetle(O. unguicularis) gets...
adaptations are found in several other Namib desert beetles such as Onymacrisunguicularis. Some terrestrial beetles that exploit shoreline and floodplain...
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