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The Journal of Experimental Biology 204, 1855-1867 (2001)
© 2001 The Company of Biologists Limited

The Vortex Wake of the Free-swimming Larva and Pupa of CULEX PIPIENS (Diptera)

John Brackenbury*

Department of Anatomy, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3DY, UK

*e-mail: jhb1000{at}mole.bio.cam.ac.uk

Accepted March 8, 2001

The kinematics and hydrodynamics of free-swimming pupal and larval (final-instar) culicids were investigated using videography and a simple wake-visualisation technique (dyes). In both cases, swimming is based on a technique of high-amplitude, side-to-side (larva) or up-and-down (pupa) bending of the body. The pupa possesses a pair of plate-like abdominal paddles; the larval abdominal paddle consists of a fan of closely spaced bristles which, at the Reynolds numbers involved, behaves like a continuous surface. Wake visualisation showed that each half-stroke of the swimming cycle produces a discrete ring vortex that is convected away from the body.

Consecutive vortices are produced first to one side then to the other of the mean swimming path, the convection axis being inclined at approximately 25° away from dead aft. Pupal and larval culicids therefore resemble fish in using the momentum injected into the water to generate thrust. Preliminary calculations for the pupa suggest that each vortex contains sufficient momentum to account for that added to the body with each half-stroke. The possibility is discussed that the side-to-side flexural technique may allow an interaction between body and tail flows in the production of vorticity.

Key words: Culex pipiens, larva, pupa, swimming, kinematics, hydrodynamics, vortex wake


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© The Company of Biologists Ltd 2001