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. 2017 Sep 15;6(9):1290-1293.
doi: 10.1242/bio.027078.

The probability of wing damage in the dragonfly Sympetrum vulgatum (Anisoptera: Libellulidae): a field study

Hamed Rajabi  1 , Veronica Schroeter  2 , Shahab Eshghi  3 , Stanislav N Gorb  2
Affiliations

The probability of wing damage in the dragonfly Sympetrum vulgatum (Anisoptera: Libellulidae): a field study

Hamed Rajabi et al. Biol Open. .

Abstract

Dragonfly wings resist millions of cycles of dynamic loading in their lifespan. During their operation, the wings are subjected to relatively high mechanical stresses. They further experience accidental collisions which result from the insects' daily activities, such as foraging, mating and fighting with other individuals. All these factors may lead to irreversible wing damage. Here, for the first time, we collected qualitative and quantitative data to systematically investigate the occurrence of damage in dragonfly wings in nature. The results obtained from the analysis of 119 wings from >30 individual Sympetrum vulgatum (Anisoptera: Libellulidae), collected at the second half of their flight period, indicate a high risk of damage in both fore- and hindwings. Statistical analyses show no significant difference between the extent of damage in fore- and hindwings, or between male and female dragonflies. However, we observe a considerable difference in the probability of damage in different wing regions. The wing damage is found to mainly result from two failure modes: wear and fracture.

Keywords: Adaptation; Collision; Damage; Dragonfly; Wear; Wing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interestsThe authors declare no competing or financial interests.

Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
The damaged parts of a hindwing sample. (A) Hindwing of the dragonfly S. vulgatum. (B-G) SEM images of the damaged regions of the dragonfly hindwing. Numerous scratches can be found on the wing surface. (D-F) The occurrence of wear is obvious in many wing regions. (E,F) The wing veins may be able to stop or deflect a propagating crack (arrowheads). Scale bars: 0.5 cm in A; 50 µm in B; 500 µm in C, E, F and G; 100 µm in D.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Probability of damage in the fore- and hindwing of the dragonfly S. vulgatum. In the (A) forewing and (B) hindwing, the wing cells near the trailing edge seem to be more susceptible to damage. The probability of damage is much higher in the posterior-distal part of both wing pairs and at the broad base of the hindwing.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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