Microstructure and Hydrophobicity of the External Surface of a Sonoran Desert Beetle.

We have studied the external surface (elytra) of the Sonoran Desert beetle (). Our aim was to assess whether this species has similar traits to some beetles from the Namibian Desert that are known to have hierarchical micropatterns that allow for water harvesting. We have conducted scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and apparent contact angle experiments on specimens collected at two sampling sites with different ambient humidity.