Pulvilli are soft, cushionlike pads on the feet of insects and other arthropods, such as the housefly and ixodid ticks. They are located at the base of the claws (#2 in the figure at right).
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4e/Chersodromia_hirta_tarsus-labeled_%28Francis_Walker_1851_Insecta_Britannica_Vol1_plateV_page332%29.svg/100px-Chersodromia_hirta_tarsus-labeled_%28Francis_Walker_1851_Insecta_Britannica_Vol1_plateV_page332%29.svg.png)
The pulvilli function as an adhesive system. Their sticking power comes partly from Van der Waals force, and partly from an adhesive fluid secreted from the extremities onto surfaces.