[Odonata-l] Leg position in windy conditions -- teneral or typical?

Sat Sep 6 16:08:16 PDT 2008

Oops!  This is the link that works:
http://marthasmith.neptune.com/?selectedalbum=marthasmith162309

Thanks,

Martha Edwards Smith

On Sat, Sep 6, 2008 at 3:30 PM, Martha Smith <scldrgnfly at gmail.com> wrote:

>  Hi Bob and everyone--
>
> In reply to the clutch/grasp issue--it is one of stability, I think.  At
> least, over the years, when I have filmed--and, I have never posed them - or
> tried to capture them with a net (not that I disapprove--but my years of
> cultural anthropology training have taught me just to observe--not interfere
> with the culture), I have always waited for them to come to me in the
> particular area I am observing - except I do experiment with calling to
> them, talking--AND ESPECIALLY MAKING EYE CONTACT if possible.
>
> It seems to depend, mostly, on the thickness, tensile strength and/ or
> diameter of the perch.  But, if they have just rotated their eyes and
> cleaned them with their forelegs (that they often rest behind their
> head-when feeling (best descriptive word) particularly secure)--they do,
> immediately grasp more tightly the perch on which they are grasping.  Wind
> is a factor- I have film in which they are grasping tightly while being
> blown around quite a bit.
>
> I also have noticed them doing something really funny and "human-like," and
> have filmed this behavior often----they seem to get tired of using both
> forelegs to support themselves, and rather than put one or both of them
> behind their heads--they will pause with one foreleg in a supporting
> position, while the other just rests on top of the supporting one.
>
> Another interesting thing I have observed is, in most cases during the day
> in their active  cycle, you will seldom see them hanging down from a
> branch-underneath it.  That position seems to be almost exclusively for
> resting-and almost always at night.  BUT, last year for the first time, at
> one time we had a great deal of competition at our site-and it is small-AND-
> for the first time, I filmed one of the males using the position
> tactically-to remain in somewhat control of the habitat-while other males
> and females used the site for reproduction.-------I actually have on
> film the dragonfly in his initial upright protective, watching position and
> when the others moved into the territory-he changed his position to the less
> visible confrontatory position-hanging down from the bottom of the same
> branch.
>
> Another video shows a Libellula vibrans hovering under the shadow of a
> small bridge to avoid being "attacked" by the dragonflies already in control
> of the area---the whole action is quite interesting--BUT what I found MOST
> interesting was- you could almost consider the dragonfly a "tool user," by
> avoiding conflict, by use of another object.
>
>
> I hate to refer to my meager website--thanks for the help-I am getting a
> camera that I might be able to use to upload some of this newer -MUCH BETTER
> stuff-- but in the Infrared album and the Dragonflies etc. album have quite
> a few different leg positions-the Dragonflies etc. has the one where the d.
> is looking up at me with his one leg resting on the other - its pretty funny
> looking.
>
> I think this address might work:
> http://www.neptune.com/features/view/framesetview.cfm
>
> I also have really close up- the d. rotating his head almost 360 degrees
> and his forelegs cleaning his eyes-yet to be posted--it's amazing the little
> barbs on his forelegs don't damage the membrane covering his eyes.
>
> Thanks you guys!
>
> Martha Edwards Smith
>
>   On Fri, Sep 5, 2008 at 9:24 AM, Bob Glotzhober <
> bglotzhober at ohiohistory.org> wrote:
>
>>    First a brief report, then a question.
>>
>> Bill Hull of Cincinnati had noted that there were only two records for
>> Ohio for the Eastern Ringtail, Erpetogomphus designatus. They dated 1913
>> from a published record by James Hine for Hamilton County (includes
>> Cincinnati), and a 1954 specimen at OSU taken by Homer Price in Paulding Co.
>> (extreme NW Ohio). Since Bill lives in Hamilton County, and is an excellent
>> field biologist who loves a challenge, he decided to spend part of this
>> summer taking on the challenge of re-finding this critter. Bill succeeded
>> with that at a spot along the Whitewater River in extreme SW Ohio  on August
>> 23rd – and got some great photos. He was kind enough to invite me down,
>> and we both revisited the site on August 26th. We spent a long, hot day,
>> but finally found them again – seeing perhaps half a dozen or more
>> specimens. We each got more photos, and I collected a single voucher. I'll
>> leave the details of Bill's search and find for him to report some other
>> place and time – maybe he'll be willing to write it up for Argia (hint,
>> hint).
>>
>>
>>
>> What I am curious about, however, is leg position in perched individuals.
>> The photo Bill sent me from the 23rd (a very still morning) shows the
>> critter perched on a grass blade in what I would consider a typical,
>> 6-footed, spread-leg pattern. One of mine (image 2773) the legs are somewhat
>> similar and "typical", although two of the legs are slightly wrapped around
>> the blade of grass. On the other two images (2783 and 2791) the legs and
>> feet are wrapped around the grass stem or the flower head in clutch-like
>> grip which I recall only seeing on captured-posed specimens – i.e. where
>> they had stress from cooling or wing-folding techniques to keep them from
>> flying for close up photography. That is not the case on any of these images
>> – all were taken from free-flying, un-captured specimens.
>>
>>
>>
>> The only thing I can think is that this may be a result of the fact that
>> these are semi-teneral adults and they were seeking shelter in a little
>> hollow in the grassland on a day with an approximately 10 mph breeze. Their
>> wings are clearly firm and no longer teneral, but they were clustered
>> off-river in a grassland and comparison with colors of other specimens on
>> the web suggest their colors are still somewhat paler than normal (or is
>> that an eastern variation compared with specimens from further west?). Has
>> anyone else observed clutching behavior like this?  i.e. "wrapping your arms
>> around a tree trunk so the hurricane does not blow you away" type behavior?
>>
>>
>>
>> I'm eager for any thoughts or observations list members might share.
>>
>>
>>
>> Bob G.
>>
>>
>>
>> ====================
>>
>> Robert C. Glotzhober             614/ 298-2054
>>
>> Senior Curator, Natural History         bglotzhober at ohiohistory.org
>>
>> Ohio Historical Society         Fax: 614/ 297-2546
>>
>> 1982 Velma Avenue
>>
>> Columbus, Ohio  43211-2497
>>
>>
>>
>> Visit the website of the Ohio Historical Society at:
>>
>>   www.ohiohistory.org and check out our online collections catalog.
>>
>> See or purchase Dragonflies and Damselflies of Ohio or the Cedar Bog
>> Symposium II at OHS's new E-Store:  http://www.ohiohistorystore.com/
>>
>> Visit the Ohio Odonata website at:
>> http://www.marietta.edu/~odonata/index.html
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Odonata-l mailing list
>> Odonata-l at listhost.ups.edu
>> https://mailweb.ups.edu/mailman/listinfo/odonata-l
>>
>>
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailweb.ups.edu/pipermail/odonata-l/attachments/20080906/2c0b1a77/attachment-0001.html