Under a low magnification of only 73x, this scanning electron micrograph (SEM) depicted the region of one of the legs of an adult figeater beetle’s, Cotinis mutabilis, leg, which included the tibiotarsal joint in the background, and the tarsopretarsal joint in the foreground. The numerous hairs, or setae, adorning almost all of the insect’s exterior surfaces, act as sensory structures, supplying the organism with information about its environmental parameters.
Created: 2007