[Syrphidae] Wingbeat Frequencies

[bill williamson]

I just found your group and would like to introduce myself.  I am currently
working on my PhD at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas on the maneuvering
of insects (Mosquitoes and Hoverflies) during free flight.  I would like to
pass on some information about frequencies, there are a couple of papers by
Greewalt (1962 and 1975) that showed wing length to be inversely correlated
to frequency within any given 'functional group' but that a good amount of
overlap existed from one group to another.  For example, Drosophila
melanogaster operate at roughly 200 Hz and Apis mellifera are around 250 Hz,
not a large difference except when you look at wing length which are 2 mm
and 12 mm respectively.  Another example is looking at a 15 mm wing that
varies in frequency from 40 Hz to 200 Hz depending on the species.

Michael L. Brewer
School of Life Sciences
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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