TY - JOUR T1 - Wettability and morphology of proboscises interweave with hawkmoth evolutionary history JF - Journal of Experimental Biology Y1 - 2023 DO - 10.1242/jeb.245699 A1 - Palaoro, A.V. A1 - Gole, A.R. A1 - Sun. Y. A1 - Puchalski, A. A1 - Beard, C.E. A1 - Adler, P.H. A1 - Kornev, K.G. SP - jeb245699 KW - ADULT FEEDING KW - AGRIUS KW - CAPILLARY PRESSURE KW - CONTACT ANGLE KW - DARAPSA KW - DOLBA KW - ENYO KW - EUMORPHA KW - FEEDING EFFICIENCY KW - FLUID DYNAMICS KW - FLUID-STRUCTURE INTERACTION KW - HEMARIS KW - HYLES KW - MANDUCA KW - MENISCUS KW - PARATREA KW - PROBOSCIS KW - SPHINGIDAE KW - XYLOPHANES AB -

Hovering hawkmoths expend significant energy while feeding, which should select for greater feeding efficiency. Although increased feeding efficiency has been implicitly assumed, it has never been assessed. We hypothesized that hawkmoths have proboscises specialized for gathering nectar passively. Using contact angle and capillary pressure to evaluate capillary action of the proboscis, we conducted a comparative analysis of wetting and absorption properties for 13 species of hawkmoths. We showed that all 13 species have a hydrophilic proboscis. In contradistinction, the proboscises of all other tested lepidopteran species have a wetting dichotomy with only the distal ~10% hydrophilic. Longer proboscises are more wettable, suggesting that species of hawkmoths with long proboscises are more efficient at acquiring nectar by the proboscis surface than are species with shorter proboscises. All hawkmoth species also show strong capillary pressures which, together with the feeding behaviors we observed, ensure that nectar will be delivered to the food canal efficiently. The patterns we found suggest that different subfamilies of hawkmoths use different feeding strategies. Our comparative approach reveals that hawkmoths are unique among Lepidoptera and highlights the importance of considering the physical characteristics of the proboscis to understand the evolution and diversification of hawkmoths.

VL - 226 IS - 19 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Haemolymph viscosity in hawkmoths and its implications for hovering flight JF - Proceedings of the Royal Society B Y1 - 2023 A1 - Brasovs, A. A1 - Palaoro, A.V. A1 - Aprelev, P. A1 - Beard, C.E. A1 - Adler, P.H. A1 - Kornev, K.G. SP - 20222185 KW - AGRIUS KW - CERATOMIA KW - DOLBA KW - ENYO KW - EUMORPHA KW - HAEMOLYMPH KW - HEMARIS KW - HOVERING KW - HYLES KW - MANDUCA KW - PHYSIOLOGY KW - SPHINGIDAE KW - VISCOSITY KW - XYLOPHANES AB -

"Viscosity determines the resistance of haemolymph flow through the insect body. For flying insects, viscosity is a major physiological parameter limiting flight performance by controlling the flow rate of fuel to the flight muscles, circulating nutrients and rapidly removing metabolic waste products. The more viscous the haemolymph, the greater the metabolic energy needed to pump it through confined spaces. By employing magnetic rotational spectroscopy with nickel nanorods, we showed that viscosity of haemolymph in resting hawkmoths (Sphingidae) depends on wing size non-monotonically. Viscosity increases for small hawkmoths with high wingbeat frequencies, reaches a maximum for middle-sized hawkmoths with moderate wingbeat frequencies, and decreases in large hawkmoths with slower wingbeat frequencies but greater lift. Accordingly, hawkmoths with small and large wings have viscosities approaching that of water, whereas hawkmoths with mid-sized wings have more than twofold greater viscosity. The metabolic demands of flight correlate with significant changes in circulatory strategies via modulation of haemolymph viscosity. Thus, the evolution of hovering flight would require fine-tuned viscosity adjustments to balance the need for the haemolymph to carry more fuel to the flight muscles while decreasing the viscous dissipation associated with its circulation."

VL - 290 UR - https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.218 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - New Sphingidae JF - Proceedings of the New England Zoological Club Y1 - 1917 A1 - Clark, B.P. SP - 57 EP - 72 KW - AMBULYX KW - AVINOFFIA KW - BRAZIL KW - CAMEROON KW - CATALOGUE KW - CATE DIAGNOSIS KW - COLOMBIA KW - CONGO KW - DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO KW - DOLBA KW - DOLBOGENE KW - EUMORPHA KW - ISOGNATHUS KW - MANDUCA KW - MEXICO KW - NEOPOLYPTYCHUS KW - NYCERYX KW - PHILIPPINES KW - PHYLLOXIPHIA KW - POLYPTYCHUS KW - SPHINGIDAE KW - USA KW - WORLDMAP1 KW - XYLOPHANES VL - 6 ER -