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…
Remarkable flight performance is key to the survival of adult Odonata. They integrate varied three-dimensional architectures and kinematics of the wings, unsteady aerodynamics, and sensory feedback control in order to achieve agile flight. Therefore, a diverse range of approaches are necessary to understand their flight strategy comprehensively. Recently, new data have been presented in several…
Odonatans are rare as amber inclusions, but quite diverse in Cretaceous Burmese amber. In the past two years, over 20 new species have been found by the present authors after studying over 250 odonatans from 300,000 amber inclusions. Most of them have now been published, and here we provide a brief review. Three suborders of…
Acceleration manoeuvres in free flight in nature of five damselfly (Zygoptera) and four dragonfly (Anisoptera) species were analysed by means of slow motion filming. Changes in stroke frequencies, stroke angles, stroke directions, angles of inclination of the wings, and the phase-relationship of fore- and hindwings were recorded during acceleration. Damselflies and dragonflies showed similar actions….
Odonata flight performance capabilities and behaviour and their body and wing form diversity are explored, and their interrelationships discussed theoretically and from observational evidence. Overall size and particularly wing loading appear predictably to be related to speed range. In Anisoptera at least, relatively short bodies and long wings should favour high speed manoeuvrability, though further…
From their earliest appearance in the fossil record, dragonflies have clearly taken a different approach to flight than other insect groups. Even the superficially similar Neuroptera do not fly like dragonflies. Flight specialisation has enabled dragonflies to occupy a range of niches, as specialised predators of flying insects, for around 300 My.
Charlie Ellington (1952-2019) – a career in animal flight mechanics Robin Woottona Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK International Journal of Odonatology, Volume 23, Issue 1, Pages 5-8, 2020https://doi.org/10.1080/13887890.2019.1682372Published: 2 January 220 Full text PDF Copyright information Issue section: Article
Dragonfly flight: a Symposium from the 2017 International Congress of Odonatology held at Clare College, Cambridge Richard Rowea Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia International Journal of Odonatology, Volume 23, Issue 1, Pages 1-4, 2020https://doi.org/10.1080/13887890.2019.1681812Published: 2 January 220 Full text PDF Copyright information Issue section: Introduction
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…