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.
The traditional method of classifying the twenty-one species within the South American genus Polythore has been relying on wing color patterns and male genital ligula shape. However, recent molecular research has shown that wing color patterns can vary significantly within some species, making it an insufficient means of species diagnosis by itself in some cases.
Males of Calopteryx splendens use two alternative mating tactics, territoriality, and non-territoriality. These different mating tactics are shown to vary between males within the same population and previous studies have shown that territorial males have considerably higher fitness than non-territorial males.
In recent decades, a lack of available knowledge about the magnitude, identity and distribution of biodiversity has given way to a taxonomic impediment where species are not being described as fast as the rate of extinction. Using Machine Learning methods based on seven different algorithms (LR, CART, KNN, GNB, LDA, SVM and RFC) we have created an automatic identification approach for odonate genera, through images of wing contours.
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…
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….
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…
We address six issues raised by Nel, Garrouste and Schubnel (2019) concerning the scheme of wing vein homology and nomenclature proposed by Trueman and Rowe (2019); showing in particular how evidence presented in a tomographical study of a dragonfly wing by Jacquelin et al. (2018) fits into this scheme.
Tachopteryx thoreyi is one of only two species of petalurid dragonflies with a non-fossorial larval stage. In the context of questions related to the phylogenetics, historical biogeography and current distribution of the Petaluridae, the evolution of a burrowing larval stage in petalurids, which is unique in the Odonata, is of considerable interest. This paper reports…
Trueman and Rowe (2019) claimed that they have finally solved the wing venation homologies for the Odonatoptera, refuting the previous models, and especially that of Riek and Kukalová-Peck (1984). Nevertheless, their proposal has several failures, viz. nature of the distal part of their “anal vein”, nature of the “MA”, and incongruence with recent results obtained…