The wings of many insect species including crane flies and damselflies are petiolate (on stalks), with the wing planform beginning some distance away from the wing hinge, rather than at the hinge. The aerodynamic impact of flapping petiolate wings is relatively unknown, particularly on the formation of the lift-augmenting leading-edge vortex (LEV): a key flow structure exploited by many insects...

1. Structural coloration is common among animals that produce sexual displays involving motion or ultraviolet reflection. Different sources of colour may provide multicomponent signals that indicate the location, sex, and fitness of a potential mate or rival. We investigated the proximate basis and ultimate function of the wing coloration of the territorial damselflyMegaloprepus caerulatus, whi...

Motivated by micro air vehicle applications, a fluid-structure coupling procedure between a NavierStokes solver and a three-dimensional FEM beam solver is presented along with selected results highlighting some of the aerodynamics implications. The fluid model includes laminar, the k ε − turbulence closure, and a filter-based k ε − closure. The structural model is based on an asymptotic approxi...

Rhagoletis pomonella (Walsh) (Diptera: Tephritidae) is a quarantine pest of apple (Malus sp.) inWashington state that is almost identical morphologically to Rhagoletis zephyria Snow, a nonpest of apple. Historically, the longer ovipositor inR. pomonella has been used to separate it from R. zephyria, despite overlap in ovipositor lengths. Here, the objectives were to determinewhether use of mult...

Here, we present a detailed analysis of the wing kinematics and wing deformations of desert locusts (Schistocerca gregaria, Forskål) flying tethered in a wind tunnel. We filmed them using four high-speed digital video cameras, and used photogrammetry to reconstruct the motion of more than 100 identified points. Whereas the hindwing motions were highly stereotyped, the forewing motions showed co...