Environmental management is one of the most important activities in ecological conservation at present. Faced with various socioeconomic impacts (e.g., urbanization, agriculture, and logging), practical and effective ways to analyze and determine how biodiversity is affected by these anthropogenic activities are essential.
The fluid dynamics of aerodynamic force control in insects depends on how oscillating wings interact with the surrounding air. The resulting flow structures are shaped by the flow induced by the wing’s instantaneous motion but also on flow components resulting from force production in previous wing strokes and the motion of other wings flapping in…
Insect wings have no flight muscles, except those situated in the thorax. However, they continuously respond to forces acting on them during flight. This ability is achieved by the specialised design of the wings and plays a key role in their aerodynamic performance. Dragonfly (Anisoptera) wings represent an extreme example of this automatic shape control…
The reproductive behaviour of the damselfly Chlorocypha cancellata (Chlorocyphidae) was filmed at 600 frames per second. Different flight styles including straight, forward flight, threat and courtship display were analysed with respect to changes in wing beat frequency and phase relationships of fore and hind wings. The analysis revealed significant differences in the flight style between…
The flights of male odonates encountering conspecifics at their reproduction sites were investigated by means of slow-motion films. We recorded large and generally consistent differences between species with clear wings (SCLW) and species with coloured wings (SCOW). SCLW mostly fought having physical contact and moved their wings without pauses in wing beats (hereafter designated wing…
A previous study has shown that wing size in Coenagrion puella varied considerably along a latitudinal gradient in the UK. Using landmark data from wing images, patterns of shape variation were also determined along the same transect by geometric morphometric analysis of wing shape. Wing shape was uniform at all sites other than those closest…
Zygoptera show two perching modes, one with wings closed and one with wings open. These perching modes are distributed unequally through the suborder; most Zygoptera perch with closed wings, but species in 43 genera of eight families at least occasionally – in most cases usually – perch with open wings. Alternative hypotheses to explain this…
The final instar of Bayadera strigata Davies & Yang, 1996, from Yunnan Province, China, is described and illustrated for the first time. This study confirms several characters as
being typical of, or unique to, the genus Bayadera and discusses them in comparison to other genera.
Different flight manoeuvres of males of Calopteryx splendens were analysed by means of slow-motion filming. The wingbeat frequencies of males flying in tandem were higher than those of single flying males.
Some structural characters, such as wing venation, have been used in odonates to differentiate taxa. In Cordulegaster boltonii, a species widely distributed throughout the western Palaearctic, the main characteristics of its wing venation have not been quantified until now.