New research shows that male moths use their wings to sniff the air for attractive mates.
They beat the air with their wings, creating a draft of air that enables them to better sniff out the female's scent. US biologists have now found out that the point is not simply to channel more scent molecules to the finely feathered antennae - in fact, the antennae's receptors are activated by the fanning process. Silkworm males beat their wings up and down up to 40 times a second. Using high-speed cameras and flow meters, the researchers studied how exactly the air flows around the moth's antennae. They discovered that the fine branches of the sensory antennae are only pushed apart if subjected to a relatively strong airflow.