The evolutionary convergence of hearing in a parasitoid fly and its cricket host

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1992
Authors:Robert, Amoroso, Hoy
Journal:Science
Volume:258
Issue:5085
Pagination:1135 - 1137
Date Published:Jan-11-1993
ISSN:0036-8075
Abstract:

Parasitism is a widespread and diverse life strategy that connects species throughout the animal kingdom. Female parasitoid flies of the genus Ormia must find a specific cricket host on which to deposit their parasitic maggots. To reproduce, female flies must perform the same task as female crickets: find a singing male cricket. These flies have evolved a unique hearing organ that allows them to detect and locate singing male crickets. Through evolutionary convergence, these flies possess a hearing organ that much more resembles a cricket's ear than a typical fly's ear, allowing these parasitoids to take advantage of the sensory ecological niche of their host.

URL:http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/doi/10.1126/science.1439820https://syndication.highwire.org/content/doi/10.1126/science.1439820
DOI:10.1126/science.1439820
Short Title:Science
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Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith