Chapter 10

Insect Migration

Ponna Srinivas, Kamalakar Pallela, G. Surender Reddy, and N. Chari

Abstract Insect migration as compared to migration in homeotherms is charac-

terised by low mass, body offering less drag, chitinous membranous wings in

pterothorax,averagefrequencyofwingbeatanduniquetypeofsenseorgansfororien-

tation and navigation. The migrating insects have powerful aerobic flight muscles

and elastomere resilin at the wing base. Best examples of migratory insects are

S.gregaria, Monarch butterfly, and Dragon flies. The migration of desert locust from

Africa to India and remigration is a notable feature. Similarly Monarch butterflies

migrate from Canada to Mexico and vice versa covering a distance of 4000 km.

Return journey is carried by subsequent generations involving metamorphosis. A

table has been given explaining general aspects of migration.

Keywords Nocturnal migration · Visual land marks · Optical flow · Endurance ·

Low Re · Wing speed · Biomimicry

Introduction

It is interesting to note that insects, birds and bats evolved about 350, 250 and 50

million years ago respectively and so migration has evolved independently in these

three phylogenitically groups of different fliers. Migration is a kind of seasonal

practice for the biological fliers and a general adaptation for adverse environmental

circumstances as migrants move between discrete locations. Migration is an aerial

P. Srinivas (B)

Govt. Degree College, Huzurabad, Karimnagar, Telangana, India

DR. BR Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad, India

K. Pallela

ECE Department, SRF, SNIST, Hyderabad, India

G. S. Reddy

IEDC Mechanical Engineering Department, SNIST, Hyderabad, India

N. Chari

Kakatiya University, Warangal, Telangana, India

© The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021

N. Chari et al. (eds.), Biophysics of Insect Flight, Springer Series in Biophysics 22,

https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5184-7_10

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