Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Beyond masquerade: Grasping the predator prevents swallowing in a bird-dropping-like weevil.

Ecology·2026
Same author

Effects of Predator Species and Size on Prey Escape Success Through the Digestive Tract.

Ecology and evolution·2026
Same author

Small prey fight back: post-capture defences shape prey-predator size relationships.

Scientific reports·2026
Same author

Sound production by hawkmoth larvae and pupae through abdominal spiracles.

The Journal of experimental biology·2025
Same author

Pseudostingers as defensive weapons: Male scoliid wasps counterattack frogs.

Ecology·2025
Same author

Bombardier beetles repel invasive bullfrogs.

PeerJ·2022

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus
09:57

Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus

Published on: December 28, 2016

10.9K

Beetle bombing always deters praying mantises.

Shinji Sugiura1

  • 1Graduate School of Agricultural Science, Kobe University, Kobe City, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan.

Peerj
|September 24, 2021
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Bombardier beetles

Keywords:
Bombardier beetlesBrachininiCarabidaeChemical defencesMantodeaPredatorPrey

More Related Videos

Using Flight Mills to Measure Flight Propensity and Performance of Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte
07:38

Using Flight Mills to Measure Flight Propensity and Performance of Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte

Published on: October 29, 2019

6.3K
Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill
07:37

Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill

Published on: August 6, 2018

7.8K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 19, 2025

Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus
09:57

Rearing and Double-stranded RNA-mediated Gene Knockdown in the Hide Beetle, Dermestes maculatus

Published on: December 28, 2016

10.9K
Using Flight Mills to Measure Flight Propensity and Performance of Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte
07:38

Using Flight Mills to Measure Flight Propensity and Performance of Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte

Published on: October 29, 2019

6.3K
Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill
07:37

Measuring the Flight Ability of the Ambrosia Beetle, Platypus Quercivorus Murayama, Using a Low-Cost, Small, and Easily Constructed Flight Mill

Published on: August 6, 2018

7.8K

Area of Science:

  • Insect behavior
  • Chemical ecology
  • Predator-prey interactions

Background:

  • Animals utilize chemical defenses against predators.
  • Bombardier beetles eject hot, toxic chemicals.
  • The defensive efficacy of bombardier beetle "bombing" against specific predators remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the defensive role of bombardier beetle "bombing" against praying mantises.
  • To determine if chemical ejection is crucial for bombardier beetle survival when attacked by mantises.

Main Methods:

  • Observing interactions between three praying mantis species and the bombardier beetle *Pheropsophus jessoensis* under laboratory conditions.
  • Comparing mantis predation success on normal *P. jessoensis* versus individuals unable to eject defensive chemicals.

Main Results:

  • Mantises successfully captured bombardier beetles but released them after being bombed.
  • Bombed mantises exhibited grooming behavior on affected body parts.
  • Mantises preyed successfully on bombardier beetles that were experimentally prevented from ejecting chemicals.

Conclusions:

  • The "bombing" chemical defense is essential for *Pheropsophus jessoensis* to deter praying mantises.
  • Bombardier beetle chemical ejection is a highly effective anti-predator mechanism against these mantis species.