| Autor: |
Ruffieux, L., Elouard, J., Sartori, M. |
| Zdroj: |
Proceedings B: Biological Sciences; November 1998, Vol. 265 Issue: 1410 p2135-2140, 6p |
| Abstrakt: |
Until now, only fully winged mayflies have been known. It has been proposed recently that brachyptery could be a missing link in the development of insect flight, via sailing or skimming aquatic insects. To our knowledge, we report here the first documented case of brachyptery in mayflies. The flightless genus Cheirogenesiais endemic to Madagascar, and the adults skim the water surface. This loss of the flight function has induced important physiological changes, such as a shift from lipids to carbohydrates in the energy reserves used during their adult life. Comparison of wing area of living mayflies with fossil species indicates that brachyptery could have already occurred in early flying insects (in the Permian). We argue that flight loss in Cheirogenesiahas been made possible by the lack of fish predation in its natural habitats. |
| Databáze: |
Supplemental Index |
| Externí odkaz: |
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