Water lily beetles fly while tethered to water’s surface
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.029632
New York Times : At least one pond-skimming insect has mastered the art of flight at the interface where air meets water. Rather than skate across the surface like a water strider or swim like a whirligig beetle, the water lily beetle attaches itself to the water’s surface with its tarsal claws and flaps its wings to generate power and propel itself. The beetle uses that method of interfacial locomotion to zip between lily pads, its main food source. Manu Prakash of Stanford University and his colleagues used high-speed video and mathematical analysis to study the beetle’s movements and the physical forces involved. They found that despite its remarkable locomotive system, the beetle has no ability to brake—it simply skims the water until it crashes into the next lily pad.
