Pyotr N. Petrov

TL;DR: In this article , the authors combine three-dimensional reconstructions of morphology and kinematics in one of the smallest insects, the beetle Paratuposa placentis (body length 395 μm), and show that this performance results from a reduced wing mass and a previously unknown type of wing motion cycle.

TL;DR: In this paper, the authors evaluated the aerodynamic force generation capacity of the wing of a miniature beetle Paratuposa placentis using a combined experimental and numerical approach, and found that, in the considered biologically relevant regimes, the bristled wing functions as a less than 50% leaky paddle, and it produces between 66 and 96% of aerodynamic drag force of an equivalent membrane wing.

TL;DR: A comparative study of speeds and accelerations in the smallest free-living insects, featherwing beetles (Coleoptera: Ptiliidae), and in larger representatives of related groups of Staphylinoidea, suggesting that the unique morphology and kinematics of the ptiliid wings are effective adaptations to flight at low Reynolds numbers.

TL;DR: Morphometric analysis shows that the geometry of the wings and their elements strongly differs from those of other staphyliniform beetles, suggesting that the aerodynamics of the feather-like wings may also differ distinctly from the usual pattern.

TL;DR: It is shown that the principal trends of morphological changes of Liadytidae and Dytiscidae during the Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous included a consistent increase in the area of the metacoxal plates at the expense of decreasing Area of the lateral lobes of the meetingaventrite ("wings").