Morphology and design of the extensible intersegmental membrane of the female migratory locust

The morphology of the extensible intersegmental membrane (i.s.m.) of the female Locusta migratoria migratorioides is dictated by three main requirements: (a) high extensibility (1500%), (b) low stiffness (5 X 10(3) Pa), (c) low Poisson ratio in the plane of the cuticle (0.01 or less). These requirements can be met only orientating the chitin orthogonally to the direction of extension and having the protein phase uncross-linked and of very low modulus. The Poisson ratio requirement also implies that for the material to be extended at constant volume extreme thinning must occur during extension, giving rise to high shear strains in the direction of extension. The ultrastructure and morphological elements are modified from 'normal' cuticle such as to provide for high extensibility (due to unfolding) of the epicuticle and epidermal cells and a complex system of intracuticular fibres which are probably necessary to retain the topology of the components during high shear straining. No new morphological elements are adduced in this study but the extreme adaptability of those established for other cuticles is illustrated.