This review is principally concerned with adaptations of insect wings to flight. Evolution and
functional differentiation of wings are discussed in the first section, with reference to variable …

The flight muscles of flies are separated into two physiologically, anatomically, and
functionally distinct classes: power muscles and control muscles. The large indirect power …

From the rain forests of Borneo to the tenements of Manhattan, winged insects are a
conspicuous and abundant feature of life on earth. Here, Robert Dudley presents the first …

Biology is a useful tool when applied to engineering challenges that have been solved in
nature. Here, the emulous goal of creating an insect-sized, truly micro air vehicle is …

Animal movement is controlled by motor neurons (MNs), which project out of the central
nervous system to activate muscles. MN activity is coordinated by complex premotor …

In most animals, a relatively small number of descending neurons (DNs) connect higher
brain centers in the animal's head to circuits and motor neurons (MNs) in the nerve cord of …

Insects constitute the most species-rich radiation of metazoa, a success that is due to the
evolution of active flight. Unlike pterosaurs, birds and bats, the wings of insects did not …

Dipteran flies are amongst the smallest and most agile of flying animals. Their wings are
driven indirectly by large power muscles, which cause cyclical deformations of the thorax …

Tethered flight in a 3-day-old female Drosophila was sustained for 32· 2 h with only short
interruptions during uptake of sucrose solution. The course-control reactions derived from …

Here, we present a detailed analysis of the deforming wing kinematics of free-flying
hoverflies (Eristalis tenax, Linnaeus) during hovering flight. We used four high-speed digital …