| Flight muscle mass, wing loading and aspect ratio were determined for 218 individual males of 26 odonate species. Interspecifically, flight muscle mass to total body mass ratio (FMR) was found to be correlated with size. For a given size, organisms who are 'flyers' have lower FMR's than 'perchers' but no patterns were found for comparisons between contact guarders versus non-contact guarders or territorial species versus non-territorial species. Wings among both suborders and within the zygopteran family Coenagrionidae, were found to grow with positive allometry. The family Coenagrionidae is able to maintain constant wing loading across all weight classes. Aspect ratios increase with increased size in Anisoptera and increase with decreased size in the Zygoptera. Statistical analysis of these data must remain speculative until a phylogeny is developed for the Odonata. |
