Do coloured-winged damselflies and dragonflies have flight kinematics different from those with clear wings?

Abstract

The flights of male odonates encountering conspecifics at their reproduction sites were investigated by means of slow-motion films. We recorded large and generally consistent differences between species with clear wings (SCLW) and species with coloured wings (SCOW). SCLW mostly fought having physical contact and moved their wings without pauses in wing beats (hereafter designated wing pauses), attacking the other males. During encounters, SCOW males showed pauses of all wings or of the fore or the hind wings only. The wing beat frequencies of SCOW therefore showed much greater variation than in SCLW. In Zygoptera SCOW, parallel flapping of both wing pairs was frequent. The two investigated species of Calopterygidae showed several special flight patterns when encountering other males. Male Anisoptera with coloured wings also used wing pauses, and often displayed their wing patterns by gliding and banking to the other male or by flying in an upright posture. Thus, we found that most odonate males with coloured wings, in the presence of rivals, exhibited special flight styles, implying signalling functions. We interpret wing pauses as an adaptive characteristic that allows rival males to evaluate the quality of their opponent by assessment of the coloured wings. Sexual selection is suggested as a possible cause for the evolution of these flights.

Behaviour of two demoiselle species (Calopteryx splendens, C. virgo) during social interaction: a signal or a symptom?

“…Our data agree with this approach, contra the view which treats flight types in demoiselles as discrete units with specific signal meanings [e.g. Hilfert- Rüppell, Rüppell, 2013].…”

“…Similar joint flights can be performed by two white-winged males, who can be joined by naturally coloured individuals (videos available at panovethology.ru). It strongly suggests that the significant stimulus is this case is the general pattern of locomotion by the male, and not the details of pigmentation of his wings, as proposed by Hilfert- Rüppell and Rüppell [2013]. Our interpretation is further supported by joint FF of C. splendens and C. virgo males, whose wing colouration is considerably different.…”

“…This behaviour is equally typical of both species. However, as mentioned by Hilfert- Rüppell and Rüppell [2013], male Beautiful Demoiselles more often change flight direction in the vertical plane and perform the action that we call "jumps".…”

Ultraviolet wing signal affects territorial contest outcome in a sexually dimorphic damselfly

“…The broad-winged Neotropical damselfly Megaloprepus caerulatus exhibits sexually dimorphic wing coloration and flight kinematics that are well adapted for sexual signalling (Hilfert- Rüppell & Rüppell, 2013;Schultz & Fincke, 2009). In Panama, both males and females possess iridescent blue bands on the wings, whereas males have a sex-specific white band proximal to the blue band.…”

A new genus and species of Tettigarctidae from the Mesozoic of northeastern China (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadoidea)

“…The color patterns on wings provide camouflage by strongly contrasting markings such as spots or stripes to hide themselves or frighten predators (Stevens et al 2006; Stevens and Merilaita 2009; Seymoure and Aiello 2015), and are also attributed to sexual selection on visual signals (Wang B et al 2006, Punzalan et al 2008, Hilfert-Rüppell and Rüppell 2013). …”