What is "halteres"

Halteres \Hal*te"res\ (h[a^]l*t[=e]"r[=e]z), n. pl. [NL., fr. Gr. "alth^res weights used in jumping, fr. "a`llesqai to leap.] (Zo["o]l.) Balancers; the rudimentary hind wings of Diptera.

n. (plural of haltere English)

1. n. rope or canvas headgear for a horse, with a rope for leading [syn: hackamore]

2. a rope that is used by a hangman to execute persons who have been condemned to death by hanging [syn: hangman's rope, hangman's halter, hemp, hempen necktie]

3. a woman's top that fastens behind the back and neck leaving the back and arms uncovered

4. either of the club-like rudimentary hind wings of dipterous insects; used for maintaining equilibrium during flight [syn: haltere, balancer]

5. v. hang with a halter

6. prevent the progress or free movement of; "He was hampered in his efforts by the bad weather"; "the imperilist nation wanted to strangle the free trade between the two small countries" [syn: hamper, cramp, strangle]

7. [also: halteres (pl)]

See halter

In Dipterous insects, halteres (; singular halter or haltere), are minute dumbbell shaped organs that have been modified from hindwings to provide a means of encoding body rotations during flight. Halteres are rapidly oscillated simultaneously with the wings, allowing them to experience forces resulting from body rotations. If the body of the insect rotates about one of its three axes (yaw, pitch or roll), the rotation exerts a force on the vibrating halteres — this is known as the Coriolis effect (see below). The insect detects this force with sensory organs called campaniform sensilla and chordotonal organs located at the base of the halteres and uses this information to interpret and correct its position in space. Halteres act as a balance and guidance system by providing rapid feedback to the wing-steering muscles, as well as those responsible for stabilizing the head. This is what allows flies to perform their fast acrobatics maneuvers.

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Halteres (, from "ἅλλομαι" - hallomai, "leap, spring"; cf. "ἅλμα" - halma, "leaping") were a type of dumbbells used in Ancient Greece. In ancient Greek sports, halteres were used as lifting weights, and also as weights in their version of the long jump, which was probably a set of three jumps. Halteres were held in both hands to allow an athlete to jump a greater distance; they may have been dropped after the first or second jump. According to archaeological evidence, the athlete would swing the weights backwards and forwards just before take-off, thrust them forwards during take-off, and swing them backwards just before releasing them and landing. Halteres were made of stone or metal, and weighed between .

Writing in Nature, biophysicist Alberto E. Minetti of Manchester Metropolitan University calculates that halteres added about to a long jump.

with weights and aulos player Staatliche Antikensammlungen 1892.jpg|Athlete holding halteres. Ancient Greek Attic black-figure lekythos, 525–500 BC, from Sicily. Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich. Kleomelos Louvre G111.jpg|Young boy holding a discus at the palaestra. Near him, a pick to prepare the landing ground for the long jump and a pair of halteres used to maintain equilibrium during the jump. Interior of an Ancient Greek Attic red-figure kylix, 510–500 BC, Louvre Museum, Paris. Sauteur.jpg|Long jumper with halteres. red-figure kylix, ca. 510 BC. Ancient Agora Museum, Athens.