Analysis of the wing beat of insects

Sounds of the wing beat of 31 insect species were tape-recorded to analyse their wave types with an oscilloscope. The frequency of wing beat ranged between 250 and 350Hz. The differences in the wave type among various insect species were more remarkable than those in the frequency of wing beat. The waves observed in the oscilloscope were interpreted to represent the mode of vibration, but not the tone, of the wing sound. Vibration of the wings of Aedes joponicus, Armigeres rubolbatus, and Promachus yezonicus showed smooth sin curves in the oscilloscope, while that of Nilaparvata lugens presented a remarkable zigzag curve. For each of the other species species-specific curve was obtained.