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Updated: Oct 18, 2025

Experimental Investigation of the Flow Structure over a Delta Wing Via Flow Visualization Methods
Published on: April 23, 2018
Partial wing transparency works better when disrupting wing edges: Evidence from a field experiment
Mónica Arias1,2, Lucie Leroy1, Clément Madec1
1CEFE, CNRS, Univ. Montpellier, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France.
Abstract:
Lepidoptera-a group of insects in which wing transparency has arisen multiple times-exhibits much variation in the size and position of transparent wing zones. However, little is known as to how this variability affects detectability. Here, we test how the size and position of transparent elements affect the predation of artificial moths by wild birds in the field. Morphs with transparent elements touching wing borders showed a reduced predation risk, with the effect being the same regardless of the number of wing borders being touched. By contrast, transparent element size had little to no effect on predation risk. Overall, this experiment shows for the first time that transparency offers higher protection when it disrupts prey contour in terrestrial habitats.
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