A Photoelectric-Photographic Analysis of Flight Behavior in the Corn Earworm, Heliothis zea, and other Moths12

Abstract

A photoelectric-photographic study was made of flight activity of the corn earworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), and other Noctuidae and also of some species of Sphingidae and one of Arctiidae. Photographs were obtained of wing configuration and positioning of appendages in free flight. Relationships between wing pitch, wing loading, and frequency of beat were determined. It was demonstrated that both wing pitch and wing load parameters vary considerably during harsh flight maneuvers, and that the study of the aerodynamic parameters of tethered flight do not necessarily represent free flight. Antennae are stable in flight but vibrate at the same frequency as the wings. With regard to attraction between sexes by electromagnetic radiation, stability of antennae, and proboscis response of earworm moths to a photoelectric window provided provocative evidence that further carefully instrumented experiments, especially in the infrared spectrum, are warranted.