Researchers at the University of California, Irvine and other institutions, revealed the secret to the diabolical ironclad beetle’s near indestructible nature in a scientific paper published in Nature on October 21.The beetle’s “crush-resistant” exoskeleton, specifically its elytra, allow it to withstand up to 39,000 times its body weight, the University said. [3], This beetle is noted for its durability, being able to survive being run over by a car. It is flightless and has a lifespan of two years,[2] which compared to the weeks or months long lifespan of a typical beetle goes to show the value of protection. The beetles cannot be mounted using normal stainless steel pins, but rather they need to drill holes in the shell where they desire to place the pin. Protrusion called blades fit together like jigsaw pieces, glues together by proteins aiding in damage resistance. And it can't fly, so it's incredibly tough instead. In a study published in Nature , a British scientific journal, researchers explain this particular species of beetle is so squash-resistant because the insect's armor is layered and pieced together like a jigsaw. Barclay added that while most beetles lived for only a matter of weeks, the diabolical ironclad could live for about seven or eight years. Researchers say this beetle is so tough its shell is now giving engineers inspiration on how to make stronger materials to build machinery with. Many would-be predators don’t stand a chance of cracking one of these beetles open. “These beetles are doing the beetle-equivalent … A closer look at the exoskeleton’s interlocking lobes also revealed they each had an internal Russian doll architecture — a series of concentric layers that faithfully mirrored the shapes that contained them. So tough, it can survive being run over by a car, The New York Times reported. The diabolical ironclad beetle's elytra contain more protein than other beetles making it much tougher. These beetles are apparently fungivores and associated with rotting wood, and as the common name implies, have one of the hardest of all arthropod exoskeletons; in some species, it is almost impossible to drive an insect pin through their bodies without using a small drill to make a hole first. This one, a species called Phloeodes diabolicus, did not. Tell me more.’”. Dorsal color can vary from pale brown to … Nosoderma diabolicum (formerly Phloeodes diabolicus), common name: diabolical ironclad beetle,[1] is a beetle of the Family Zopheridae. Scientists say the armor of the seemingly indestructible beetle could offer clues for designing stronger planes and … But understanding what makes the beetle so diabolical and ironclad could aid development of synthetic products for use in construction or … “He was like, ‘OK. “That provides strength at this interface,” Dr. Kisailus said. According to research published Wednesday by the journal Nature, phloeodes diabolicus --the diabolical ironclad beetle -- has armor so durable that it cannot be crushed. They can do that, researchers discovered, thanks to hardened casings on … The aptly named diabolical ironclad beetle can withstand being crushed by forces almost 40,000 times its body weight. The compression is no longer pointed on one spot but rather spread across the shell evenly distributing the force over the whole shell. PARIS, FRANCE -- Looking like it was forged in apocalyptic fires, the diabolical ironclad beetle has a formidable reputation for being able to withstand being stabbed or run over by a car. Phloeodes diabolicus (LeConte 1851) Size . The impressive armor of these insects, which are found primarily on the west coast of North America, most likely evolved to allow the flightless, fungus-munching bugs to safely wriggle under rocks and fend off the pecks and nips of birds and rodents. The connection allows the blades to absorb impacts without snapping. If ever there were an insect deserving of superhero status, it’d be the diabolical ironclad beetle. It was also cleverly structured: Evolved from a pair of now-defunct forewings, the exoskeleton stretched across the insect’s back and hooked into a separate structure sheathing the insect’s belly, encasing the beetle in a shell with an airy buffer underneath. Content Continues Below. “You can compress the shell without the yolk, or the organs, getting squished,” he said. These fibers are twisted and stacked upon each other creating a "helicoid" arrangement, creating a laminated structures. A study finds there’s at least one bug that can be run over and keeps on walking: the diabolical ironclad beetle. This is done by layering multiple different scales of different sizes, ranging from microscopic to the visible eye sizes, providing the exceptional mechanical strength. Phloeodes diabolicus is … The study found that diabolical ironclad beetles can withstand compression of up to 39,000 times their body weight – a load greater than an adult human can generate by pressing thumb and index finger together, and about 75 percent higher than comparable beetles can handle. Drive over the beetle in your car and it won't even break a sweat. [2], These inch long beetles have the potential for extremely long life spans due to their structure and shape. #diabolicalbeetle #ironbeetle #metalbeetle The diabolical ironclad #beetle is like a tiny tank on six legs. Just about any other living thing would be liquefied at the forces this insect can withstand. You may be asking how a beetle could survive being driven over by a car. The 'diabolical ironclad beetle' can withstand enormous crushing force more than 39,000 times its own body weight, enough to survive being run over by a car. The diabolical ironclad beetle can withstand forces up to 39,000 times its body weight. It was a seemingly impossible physical puzzle that Dr. Rivera spent his doctoral career obsessively trying to solve. These inch long beetles have the potential for extremely long life spans due to their structure and shape. Using a compositional analysis it was found that the microstructure of exoskeleton is protein rich and contains no inorganic structure (common in crustacean exoskeleton), while also containing a thicker endocuticle than other insects. Many beetles have a rounded body, but the diabolical ironclad is different, having a flat shape and low to the ground profile makes these beetles extremely tough to squish. The protection allows the beetle to be almost predator proof, denying most species the ability to break the shell. Luckily, the flabbergasted father was quick to revise his stance, Dr. Rivera said. They assessed the tensile strength and composition of the beetle’s exterior with a suite of ultrasensitive instruments. Mimicking these could help us build tougher structures Now scientists know why. Evolution has given the insect an exterior that can hold its own against a force 39,000 times its body weight — the equivalent of a 150-pound person resisting the crush of about 25 blue whales. Explanation of Names . After his automobile-based field testing, Dr. Rivera and his fellow researchers focused most of their attention on laboratory experiments. The scientists discovered that the diabolical ironclad beetle's super-toughness lies in its armor. Meet the Diabolical Ironclad Beetle. The diabolical ironclad beetle has a tough natural exoskeleton. “That would jellify a human,” said David Kisailus, an engineer at the University of California, Irvine, who mentored Dr. Rivera’s work. The connecting bits of the beetle's shell are a lot like a zip on a coat. “It’s playing dead. “Having these layers helps toughen the joint,” said Talia Moore, a roboticist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Michigan who wasn’t involved in the study. Being energy absorbent the skeleton is able to deflect, twist and arrest crack propagation between each layer. Just about any other bug would have died. One impressive example is found in the exoskeletal forewings (elytra) of the diabolical ironclad beetle, Phloeodes diabolicus. The jigsaw pattern seen is a multilayered exoskeleton, including a waterproof epicuticle, an underlying exocuticle and lastly an internal endocuticle. The beetles cannot be mounte… A close-up view of P. diabolicus’s exoskeleton, showing layers of support and interlocking lobes. Some five years later, he and his colleagues have figured out how this unbreakable bug earned its colloquial name: the diabolical ironclad beetle. 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