Are flies right or left winged?

[Joe Hard 0]

I am curious if flies , mainly wings that lay back along the body are right or left handed. Meaning does the right wing always lay on top of the left or vise versa? Can they alternate or do they have a stronger wing that is always on top? Is it the right or left, or are some insects, like people, right or left winged?

 

What of other flies, like upright wings, or there legs? Crabs, crayfish, and lobster all have a stronger bigger claw, are other insects the same. Is the stronger claw always on one side or does it vary from individuals like people?

[Taxon 0]

Daryn-

 

I proposed pretty much the same question to C. E. (Bert) Cushing, Phd., aka Streamdoctor on FAOL in November 15, 2004, and this is what he had to say in response:

 

Q. Concerning insects that fold their wings back, overlapping them (more or less) flat over the abdomen, is there a customary order in which they are folded, or is it simply happenstance as to whether the last (top) folded wing is a left or right wing? Sincerely, Roger

 

A. Roger, I'm going to give you a couple of pieces of information that I got from two stonefly taxonomists in response to your question.

 

Dr. Richard Bauman, BYU, told me that he was on a field trip with some students and they were observing a large hatch of Hesperoperla pacifica. As the insects crawled out of the water and began to emerge from their exuviae, the wings were held upright as they began to pump blood into them. When they were full, the insects seemed to 'stretch' the wings, and then folded them - the left one first and then the right one.

 

Dr. Ken Stewart, No. Texas Univ., sent me the following: "Aquatic insects that fold their wings over the back, such as Plecoptera, have defined fold lines. For the forewings, this is almost exclusively at the "anal fold line" between the cubital and anal longitudinal veins. For the hindwings, that are usually more complexly folded like a fan, there are several foldlines between longitudinal veins." Unfortunately, Ken didn't say anything about which side was folded first.

 

[Joe Hard 0]

Thanks,I am going to keep my eyes open for crabs this summer as I find them on the flats all the time, I know a lobster fisherman and am going to ask him. We dont have any lobsters here and should have a stonefly/salmon fly hatch soon

[riffleriversteelheadslayer 0]

here in michigan usually the crayfish have a crusher and a pincher claw the claw on the right is larger then on the left and is used mainly for crushing if that helps