Halteres

What Does Halteres Mean?

In the insect world, halteres are modified wings that are found on the thoraxes of various insects. The halteres help to balance the insects while flying.

Halteres are shaped as small, knob-like organs, sometimes similar to the shape of a baseball bat or a bowling pin. In the Diptera family of insects, halteres act as hind wings, while in Setstripera insects, the halteres act as the fore wings.

Maximum Yield Explains Halteres

An insect swings its halteres swiftly along with its wings so that it experiences forces that result from the body rotation. This is known as the corilosis effect, and it occurs when the insect rotates one of its three axes (yaw, pitch, or role). When the corilosis effect occurs, it is detected by the insect's campaniform sensilla and chodotonal sensory organs, which are found at the base of the halteres and use the information to correct its position while flying.

The halteres are a sort of a guidance system that insects use; they work by delivering fast information to the wind-steering muscles as well as those responsible for stabilizing the head. This action allows insects such as flies to perform fast acrobatic maneuvers.

Some insects also use halteres while they are walking. Flesh flies oscillate their halteres while walking and perform more poorly at certain walking tasks when their halteres are removed. Fruit flies, on the other hand, have no problems walking without their halteres. This shows that halteres are only behaviorally relevant to certain species that oscillate their halteres while walking.