02950nas a2200313   4500008004100000022001400041245011100055210006900166260001600235490000800251520202000259653002102279653001902300653001602319653001802335653001402353653001602367653001802383100001802401700002002419700002002439700002302459700002002482700001902502700001502521700002202536700002302558856005502581       2015                        eng d  a0028-104200aThe unique sound production of the Death’s-head hawkmoth (Acherontia atropos (Linnaeus, 1758)) revisited0 aunique sound production of the Death shead hawkmoth Acherontia a  cJan-08-20150 v1023 a<p>When disturbed, adults of the Death&rsquo;s-head hawkmoth (Lepidoptera, Sphingidae: Acherontia atropos) produce short squeaks by drawing in and deflating air into and out of the pharynx as a defence mechanism. We took a new look at Prell&rsquo;s hypothesis of a two-phase mechanism by providing new insights into the functional morphology behind the pharyngeal sound production of this species. First, we compared the head anatomy of A. atropos with another sphingid species, Manduca sexta, by using micro-computed tomography (CT) and 3D reconstruction methods. Despite differences in feeding behaviour and capability of sound production in the two species, the musculature in the head is surprisingly similar. However, A. atropos has a much shorter proboscis and a modified epipharynx with a distinct sclerotised lobe projecting into the opening of the pharynx. Second, we observed the sound production in vivo with X-ray videography, mammography CT and high-speed videography. Third, we analysed acoustic pressure over time and spectral frequency composition of six A. atropos specimens, both intact and with a removed proboscis. Single squeaks of A. atropos last for ca. 200 ms and consist of an inflation phase, a short pause and a deflation phase. The inflation phase is characterised by a burst of ca. 50 pulses with decreasing pulse frequency and a major frequency peak at ca. 8 kHz, followed by harmonics ranging up to more than 60 kHz. The deflation phase is characterised by a less clear acoustic pattern, a lower amplitude and more pronounced peaks in the same frequency range. The removal of the proboscis resulted in a significantly shortened squeak, a lower acoustic pressure level and a slightly more limited frequency spectrum. We hypothesise that the uptake of viscous honey facilitated the evolution of an efficient valve at the opening of the pharynx (i.e. a modified epipharynx), and that sound production could relatively easily have evolved based on this morphological pre-adaptation.</p>
10aInsect acoustics10aInsect anatomy10aInsect head10aManduca sexta10aProboscis10aVideography10aX-ray imaging1 aBrehm, Gunnar1 aFischer, Martin1 aGorb, Stanislav1 aKleinteich, Thomas1 aKühn, Bernhard1 aNeubert, David1 aPohl, Hans1 aWipfler, Benjamin1 aWurdinger, Susanne  uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00114-015-1292-502740nas a2200253   4500008004100000022001400041245013300055210006900188260001600257490000800273520188400281653002702165653003502192653002302227653001902250100002602269700002202295700001702317700002002334700002502354700002802379700002402407856005502431       2017                        eng d  a0028-104200aRemarkable vocal identity in wild-living mother and neonate saiga antelopes: a specialization for breeding in huge aggregations?0 aRemarkable vocal identity in wildliving mother and neonate saiga  cJan-04-20170 v1043 a<p>Saiga antelopes Saiga tatarica tatarica give birth in large aggregations, and offspring follow the herd soon after birth. Herding is advantageous as anti-predator strategy; however, communication between mothers and neonates is strongly complicated in large aggregations. Individual series of nasal and oral contact calls of mother and neonate saiga antelopes were selected from recordings made with automated recording systems placed near the hiding neonates on the saiga breeding grounds in Northern Kazakhstan during synchronized parturitions of 30,000 calving females. We used for comparison of the acoustic structure of nasal and oral contact calls 168 nasal calls of 18 mothers, 192 oral calls of 21 mothers, 78 nasal calls of 16 neonates, and 197 oral calls of 22 neonates. In the oral calls of either mothers or neonates, formant frequencies were higher and the duration was longer than in the nasal calls, whereas fundamental frequencies did not differ between oral and nasal calls. Discriminant function analysis (DFA) based on six acoustic variables, accurately classified individual identity for 99.4% of oral calls of 18 mothers, for 89.3% of nasal calls of 18 mothers, and for 94.4% of oral calls of 18 neonates. The average value of correct classification to individual was higher in mother oral than in mother nasal calls and in mother oral calls than in neonate oral calls; no significant difference was observed between mother nasal and neonate oral calls. Variables mainly responsible for vocal identity were the fundamental frequency and the second and third formants in either mothers or neonates, and in either nasal or oral calls. The high vocal identity of mothers and neonates suggests a powerful potential for the mutual mother-offspring recognition in dense aggregations of saiga antelopes as an important component of their survival strategy.</p>
10amaternal care in herds10amother-offspring communication10aoffspring survival10avocal identity1 aSibiryakova, Olga, V.1 aVolodin, Ilya, A.1 aFrey, Roland1 aZuther, Steffen1 aKisebaev, Talgat, B.1 aSalemgareev, Albert, R.1 aVolodina, Elena, V.  uhttp://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00114-017-1433-0