A bite force database of 654 insect species

Abstract

Bite force is a decisive performance trait in animals because it plays a role for numerous life history components such as food consumption, inter- and intraspecific interactions, and reproductive success. Bite force has been studied across a wide range of vertebrate species, but only for 20 species of insects, the most speciose animal lineage. Here we present the insect bite force database with bite force measurements for 654 insect species covering 111 families and 13 orders with body lengths ranging from 4.2 - 180.1 mm. In total we recorded 1906 bite force series from 1290 specimens, and, in addition, present basal head, body, and wing metrics. As such, the database will facilitate a wide range of studies on the characteristics, predictors, and macroevolution of bite force in the largest clade of the animal kingdom and may serve as a basis to further our understanding of macroevolutionary processes in relation to bite force across all biting metazoans.