HORISAWA, S.; BYRNES, G.T.; DUDLEY, R.; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley; Univ. of California, Berkeley: Characterization of Erratic Flight Trajectories in Free-Flying Butterflies

Palatability of butterflies is correlated with flight speed, flight trajectory, maneuverability, body shape, wing aspect ratio, and the position of center of body mass. Relative to unpalatable butterflies, palatable butterflies exhibit erratic flight, and also fly faster and maneuver more successfully to evade attack from aerial predators. We determined three-dimensional positions of infrared-reflective markers attached dorsally to free-flying butterflies with a motion capture system consisting of four fixed infrared-sensitive cameras. In particular, we describe quantitatively the three-dimensional body kinematics of palatable butterflies engaged in erratic flight, and derive geometrical parameters (e.g., sinuosity) to characterize these irregular flight paths.