Fog catchment sand trenches constructed by tenebrionid beetles, Lepidochora, from the Namib Desert

Abstract

Three species of coastal Namib Desert tenebrionid beetles (Lepidochora) build trenches on desert sand dunes. Trenches are constructed perpendicular to fog winds and concentrate moisture during fogs. The beetles return along the ridges of the trenches extracting waterfrom them. The water content of a population of these beetles increased by 13.9 percent during one fog.