Approach to insect wing shape and deformation field measurement

Summary StatementA fine shape and deformation field measurement of insect wing is achieved by a self-developed setup. This measurement could foster investigation of insect wing stiffness distribution.AbstractFor measuring the shape and deformation of insect wing, a scanning setup adopting line laser and coaxial LED light is developed. Wing shape can be directly acquired from the line laser images by triangulation. Yet the wing deformation field can also be obtained by a self-devised algorithm that processes the images from line laser and coaxial LED simultaneously. During the experiment, three wing samples from termite and mosquito under concentrated force are scanned. The venation and corrugation could be significantly identified from shape measurement result. The deformation field is sufficiently accurate to demonstrate its variation from wing base to tip. The load conditions in experiments are also be discussed. For softer wings, local deformation is apparent if pinhead is employed to impose force. The similarity analysis is better than 5% deformation ratio as a static criterion, if the wing is simplified as a cantilever beam. The setup is proved to be effective and versatile. The shape and deformation fields would give enough details for the measurement of wing stiffness distribution.

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Optimal design of insect wing shape for hovering nano air vehicles

58th AIAA/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and Materials Conference ◽

10.2514/6.2017-1071 ◽

2017 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Glen Throneberry ◽

Mostafa Hassanalian ◽

Abdessattar Abdelkefi

Keyword(s):

Optimal Design ◽

Wing Shape ◽

Insect Wing ◽

Air Vehicles

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Bmmp influences wing shape by regulating anterior-posterior and proximal-distal axis development

10.1101/2021.07.26.453796 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Yunlong Zou ◽

Xin Ding ◽

Li Zhang ◽

Lifeng Xu ◽

Shubo Liang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Molecular Mapping ◽

Wing Shape ◽

Wing Development ◽

Mrna Levels ◽

Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽

Insect Wing ◽

Expression Of Genes ◽

Flight Capacity ◽

Null Mutants ◽

Anterior Posterior

Insect wings are subject to strong selective pressure, resulting in the evolution of remarkably diverse wing shapes that largely determine flight capacity. However, the genetic basis and regulatory mechanisms underlying wing shape development are not well understood. The silkworm Bombyx mori micropterous ( mp ) mutant exhibits shortened wing length and enlarged vein spacings , albeit without changes in total wing area. Thus, the mp mutant comprises a valuable genetic resource for studying wing shape development. In this study, we used molecular mapping to identify the gene responsible for the mp phenotype and designated it Bmmp . Phenotype-causing mutations were identified as indels and single nucleotide polymorphisms in non-coding regions. These mutations resulted in decreased Bmmp mRNA levels and changes in transcript isoform composition. Bmmp null mutants were generated by CRISPR/Cas9 and exhibited significantly smaller wings. By examining the expression of genes critical to wing development in wildtype and Bmmp null mutants, we found that Bm mp exerts its function by coordinately modulating anterior-posterior and proximal-distal axis development. We also studied a Drosophila mp mutant and found that Bmmp is functionally conserved in Drosophila . The Drosophila mp mutant strain exhibits curly wings of reduced size and a complete loss of flight capacity. Our results increase our understanding of the mechanisms underpinning insect wing development and reveal potential targets for pest control.

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