Water capture by a desert beetle

@article{Parker2001WaterCB,
  title={Water capture by a desert beetle},
  author={Andrew R Parker and Christopher Robert Lawrence},
  journal={Nature},
  year={2001},
  volume={414},
  pages={33-34}
}
Some beetles in the Namib Desert collect drinking water from fog-laden wind on their backs. We show here that these large droplets form by virtue of the insect's bumpy surface, which consists of alternating hydrophobic, wax-coated and hydrophilic, non-waxy regions. The design of this fog-collecting structure can be reproduced cheaply on a commercial scale and may find application in water-trapping tent and building coverings, for example, or in water condensers and engines. 
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1,473 Citations
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1,473 Citations

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TLDR
Water collection efficiency of surfaces inspired by beetles is discussed and their influence on the water collection efficiency from three aspects: surface wettability, surface structure and surface pattern distribution is discussed.
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Investigation of Morphology and Surface Structure of Stenocara eburnea, Namib Desert Beetle
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Fog harvesting Namib Desert beetles such as Onymacris unguicularis have recently inspired various synthetic designs to collect water droplets in the dry, arid conditions, and it was only in 2010 that an actual SEM picture of the apex of the elytra of Stenocara gracilipes has appeared.
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Hybrid engineered materials with high water-collecting efficiency inspired by Namib Desert beetles.
Inspired by Namib Desert beetles, a hybrid superhydrophobic surface was fabricated, showing highly efficient fog harvesting with a water collection rate (WCR) of 1309.9 mg h(-1) cm(-2). And, the…
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The remarkable fog collection and water-channeling properties of Dryopteris marginata are reported and it is inferred that the microlevel hierarchy of the structures make the surface hydrophilic and the multiscale channels allow the efficient passage and transport of water.
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Artificial fibres are designed that mimic the structural features of silk and exhibit its directional water-collecting ability by tapping into both driving forces.
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References

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