Existing nomenclatures for the venation of the odonate wing are inconsistent and inaccurate. We offer a new scheme, based on the evolution and ontogeny of the insect wing and on the physical structure of wing veins, in which the veins of dragonflies and damselflies are fully reconciled with those of the other winged orders. Our
The representatives of the damselfly family Pseudostigmatidae are known for their ability to catch small orb web spiders, or in some cases small kleptoparasitic spiders in the webs of other spiders. In this paper, I demonstrate that the nanoscopic crystalline wax coverage of wings in the pseudostigmatid damselfly Mecistogaster ornata is partially altered due to…
Dragonflies and damselflies (the Odonata) are among the most efficient flying insects. However, fragmentation of the landscape can increase distance between habitats and affect costs of dispersal, thus shaping phenotypic patterns of flight-related traits, such as wing shape, wing loading and wing size. Urban landscapes are highly fragmented, which limits dispersal among aquatic habitats. Hence,
Well-adapted flight morphology must allow for efficient behavioral activities. Wing shape has been shown in a variety of species to be influenced by environmental conditions. Analysis of wing shape using geometric morphometrics provides a visualization of wing shape variations. This study examined the effects of varied environments on wing shape and wing size of the…
We used next-generation sequencing to characterise the complete mitochondrial genome of the damselfly Mnais costalis (Odonata, Calopterygidae). Illumina paired end reads were mapped against COI and 16S sequences from M. costalis and then extended using an iterative de novo map procedure. The final assembly was a contiguous sequence of 15,487 bp, which contained all standard mitochondrial…
Robust male condition must be favored and should be signaled to conspecifics via enhanced aggression and more highly expressed ornamental traits. One way that such robust condition, and thereby the expression of aggression and ornamental traits, can be assessed is via survival. In odonate adults, condition (in the form of lipid reserves, muscle mass and…
Female limited polymorphism consists in the coexistence of two or more female morphs in the same population and is widespread among odonates. Generally, one female morph, the andromorph, resembles males in colour or, sometimes, also in morphology and behaviour, while one or more other morphs, gynomorphs, differ from males. This phenomenon is probably promoted by…
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…