Thread subject: Diptera.info :: angled M-vein in Calyptratae
Posted by Carnifex on 23-08-2019 20:46
#1
Don't know whether this has been investigated: What is the reason behind the conspicuous angle of the M vein that many Calyptrate species exhibit? Can this be associated with wing stability? Or certain flight abilities?
Just curious if anybody here heard of studies dealing with this question (or can come up with a suggestion)
Edited by Carnifex on 23-08-2019 20:47
Posted by John Carr on 27-08-2019 13:59
#2
I read somewhere that curved veins near wingtip can help maneuvering or hovering flight. I assume they make the wingtip stiffer. The course of wing veins evolves slowly. If an ancestor of Oestroidea saw a strong benefit from curved vein M and its descendents didn't care, the bend could be present for no obvious reason.
Posted by Carnifex on 27-08-2019 21:01
#3
Thanks John, I am sensing an increasing interest for myself in the evolution of wing venation. So in some Tachinids, it was apparently beneficial to return to a more or less straight vein.
Posted by Jan Maca on 14-09-2019 10:09
#4
A study of the mechanicsm of flight in Diptera: Ishihara, D. 2018. Role of fluid-structure interaction in generating the characteristic tip path of a
flapping flexible wing. Physical Review E 98(3): 19. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.98.032411.