Odonatan wing and body morphologies

Parameters for shape, mass and virtual mass are described for the wings and bodies of 7 spp. The distribution of wing area and virtual mass follow precise allometric relationships, and these parameters can be predicted from the position of the centroid of area for each wing. Wing mass distributions show less clear trends due to specific effects of the pterostigmas. The different wing shapes between Anisoptera and Zygoptera are related to differences in their flight behaviours. No difference in wing shape was found between ‘flier’ and ‘percher’ groups of dragonfly. A clear relationship exists between the radii of the centre of mass and the second radius of gyration for the odon. bodies. The position of the centre of mass relative to the wing bases is related to the flight style and manoeuvrability of these insects.