BACKGROUND Candidate genes for color pattern formation in butterfly wings have been known based on gene expression patterns since the 1990s, but their functions remain elusive due to a lack of a functional assay. Several methods of transferring and expressing a foreign gene in butterfly wings have been reported, but they have suffered from low success rates or low expression levels. Here, we de...

The fore wings of scale insect males possess reduced venation compared with other insects and the homologies of remaining veins are controversial. The hind wings are reduced to hamulohalterae. When adult males are prepared using the standard methods adopted to females and nymphs, i.e. using KOH to clear the specimens, the wings become damaged or deformed, an so these structures are not usually ...

Title of dissertation: DYNAMICS AND AEROELASTICITY OF HOVER CAPABLE FLAPPING WINGS: EXPERIMENTS AND ANALYSIS Beerinder Singh, Doctor of Philosophy, 2006 Dissertation directed by: Professor Inderjit Chopra Department of Aerospace Engineering This dissertation addresses the aerodynamics of insect-based, bio-inspired, flapping wings in hover. An experimental apparatus, with a bio-inspired flapping...

Bat wings are important for thermoregulation, but their role in heat balance during flight is largely unknown. More than 80% of the energy consumed during flight generates heat as a by-product, and thus it is expected that bat wings should dissipate large amounts of heat to prevent hyperthermia. We measured rectal (T(r)) and surface (T(s)) temperatures of Brazilian free-tailed bats (Tadarida br...

—We analyzed diff erences in wing morphology between sexes and among age classes of Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) to assess possible relationships with diff erential migration, acrobatic aerial displays, and potential vulnerability to predation, using size-constrained component analysis. Data on wing morphology of all four sex and age classes were available from birds spending the nonbree...

Hummingbirds are the only birds that can sustain hovering. This unique flight behaviour comes, however, at high energetic cost. Based on helicopter and aeroplane design theory, we expect that hummingbird wing aspect ratio (AR), which ranges from about 3.0 to 4.5, determines aerodynamic efficacy. Previous quasi-steady experiments with a wing spinner set-up provide no support for this prediction....