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Science 12 April 1985:
Vol. 228. no. 4696, pp. 177 - 179
DOI: 10.1126/science.228.4696.177
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Articles

Flight of Winter Moths Near 0°C

BERND HEINRICH 1 and THOMAS P. MOMMSEN 2

1 Department of Zoology, University of Vermont, Burlington 05405
2 Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 2A9

Some noctuid winter moths fly at near 0°C by maintaining an elevated(30° to 35°C) thoracic muscle temperature. Geometrid winter moths sustain themselves in free flight at subzero muscle temperatures. However, the temperature characteristics of citrate synthase and pyruvate kinase from both of these different kinds of moths and from a sphinx moth that flies with a muscles temperature of 40°C are nearly identical. Furthermore, mass-specific rates of energy expenditure of both kinds of winter moths are also similar at given thoracic temperature (near 0°C). The geometrids that are able to fly with a thoracic temperature near 0°C do so largely because of unusually low wing-loading, which permits a low energetic cost of flight.

Submitted on July 19, 1984
Accepted on November 5, 1984


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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)