Functional morphology of the adhesive organs of stick insects ( Carausius morosus )

Adhesive organs enable insects to cling to various substrates. During locomotion, a very fast but reliable change of adhesion and detachment is realised. To reveal the detailed underlying mechanisms of this impressive performance, we analysed the ultrastructure of adhesive organs of the stick insect C. morosus using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM).