The Aerodynamics and Power Requirements of Forward Flapping Flight in the Mango Stem Borer Beetle (Batocera rufomaculata).

ABSTRACT: The need for long dispersal flights can drive selection for behavioral, physiological, and biomechanical mechanisms to reduce the energy spent flying. However, some energy loss during the transfer of momentum from the wing to the fluid is inevitable, and inherent to the fluid-wing interaction. Here, we analyzed these losses during the forward flight of the mango stem borer (Batocera rufomaculata). This relatively large beetle can disperse substantial distances in search of new host trees, and laboratory experiments have demonstrated continuous tethered flights that can last for up to an hour. We flew the beetles tethered in a wind tunnel and used high-speed videography to estimate the aerodynamic power from their flapping kinematics and particle image velocimetry (PIV) to evaluate d

SUBMITTER: Urca T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7751000 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature