Science. 1994 Oct 21;266(5184):427-30. doi: 10.1126/science.266.5184.427.
Insect wings appear to have evolved from gills used by aquatic forms for ventilation and swimming, yet the nature of intermediate stages remains a mystery. Here a form of nonflying aerodynamic locomotion used by aquatic insects is described, called surface skimming, in which thrust is provided by wing flapping while continuous contact with the water removes the need for total aerodynamic weight support. Stoneflies surface skim with wing areas and muscle power output severely reduced, which indicates that surface skimming could have been an effective form of locomotion for ancestral aquatic insects with small protowings and low muscle power output.
昆虫的翅膀似乎是由水生动物用于呼吸和游泳的鳃进化而来的，但中间阶段的性质仍然是个谜。本文描述了一种水生昆虫使用的非飞行空气动力学运动形式，称为水面掠食，其中通过翅膀拍打提供推力，而与水的连续接触则不需要完全的空气动力学重量支撑。石蝇用严重减小的翅膀面积和肌肉力量输出进行水面掠食，这表明水面掠食可能是具有小翼和低肌肉力量输出的原始水生昆虫的一种有效运动形式。
