@article {51479, title = {Covert stridulation: Novel sound generation by a South American Katydid}, journal = {Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {82}, year = {1995}, month = {Jan-02-1995}, pages = {96 - 98}, issn = {0028-1042}, doi = {10.1007/BF01140151}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/BF01140151}, author = {Glenn K. Morris and Mason, A. C.} } @article {48151, title = {Tympanal mechanics and neural responses in the ears of a noctuid moth}, journal = {Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {98}, year = {2011}, month = {Jan-12-2011}, pages = {1057 - 1061}, abstract = {

Ears evolved in many groups of moths to detect the echolocation calls of predatory bats. Although the neurophysiology of bat detection has been intensively studied in moths for decades, the relationship between sound-induced movement of the noctuid tympanic membrane and action potentials in the auditory sensory cells (A1 and A2) has received little attention. Using laser Doppler vibrometry, we measured the velocity and displacement of the tympanum in response to pure tone pulses for moths that were intact or prepared for neural recording. When recording from the auditory nerve, the displacement of the tympanum at the neural threshold remained constant across frequencies, whereas velocity varied with frequency. This suggests that the key biophysical parameter for triggering action potentials in the sensory cells of noctuid moths is tympanum displacement, not velocity. The validity of studies on the neurophysiology of moth hearing rests on the assumption that the dissection and recording procedures do not affect the biomechanics of the ear. There were no consistent differences in tympanal velocity or displacement when moths were intact or prepared for neural recordings for sound levels close to neural threshold, indicating that this and other neurophysiological studies provide good estimates of what intact moths hear at threshold.

}, keywords = {auditory threshold, Lepidoptera, moth auditory biomechanics, neurophysiology}, issn = {0028-1042}, doi = {10.1007/s00114-011-0851-7}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00114-011-0851-7}, author = {ter Hofstede, Hannah M. and Goerlitz, Holger R. and Fernando Montealegre-Zapata and Daniel Robert} } @article {47922, title = {When males whistle at females: complex FM acoustic signals in cockroaches}, journal = {Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {93}, year = {2006}, month = {Jan-10-2006}, pages = {500 - 505}, abstract = {

Male cockroaches of the species Elliptorhina chopardi expel air through a pair of modified abdominal spiracles during courtship. This air expulsion simultaneously produces air and substrate-borne vibrations. We described and compared in details these two types of vibrations. Our analysis of the air-borne signals shows that males can produce three categories of signals with distinct temporal and frequency parameters. \“Pure whistles\” consist of two independent harmonic series fast frequency modulated with independent harmonics that can cross each other. \“Noisy whistles\” also possess two independent voices but include a noisy broad-band frequency part in the middle. Hiss sounds are more noise-like, being made of a broad-band frequency spectrum. All three call types are unusually high in dominant frequency (\>5 kHz) for cockroaches. The substrate-borne signals are categorised similarly. Some harmonics of the substrate-borne signals were filtered out, however, making the acoustic energy centered on fewer frequency bands. Our analysis shows that cockroach signals are complex, with fast frequency modulations and two distinct voices. These results also readdress the question of what system could potentially receive and decode the information contained within such complex sounds.

}, keywords = {acoustic communication, Cockroach, courtship, Elliptorhina chopardi, frequency modulations, two-voice system}, issn = {0028-1042}, doi = {10.1007/s00114-006-0135-9}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00114-006-0135-9}, author = {Sueur, Jerome and Aubin, Thierry} } @article {47307, title = {Is microhabitat segregation between two cicada species ( Tibicina haematodes and Cicada orni ) due to calling song propagation constraints?}, journal = {Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {90}, year = {2003}, month = {Jan-07-2003}, pages = {322 - 326}, abstract = {

The cicada species Tibicina haematodes and Cicada orni are two sympatric species often inhabiting vineyards. We show that they occupy two distinct levels: males of T. haematodes produce their calling songs from a high position in vine foliage while males of C. orni call from a low position near the ground on vine trunks. Experiments consisting of broadcasting and re-recording experimental signals in natural habitats from low and high positions show that signals are more and more modified as sender\–receiver distance increases. T. haematodes would have an advantage when calling on trunks rather than on branches whereas C. orni would be able to call indiscriminately from both low and high positions. Thus, the microhabitat segregation observed between T. haematodes and C orni in vineyards does not seem to be related to calling song propagation constraints, but may be due to other ethological or ecological factors.

}, issn = {0028-1042}, doi = {10.1007/s00114-003-0432-5}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00114-003-0432-5}, author = {Sueur, J. and Aubin, T.} } @article {40437, title = {The evolutionary origin of auditory receptors in Tettigonioidea: the complex tibial organ of Schizodactylidae}, journal = {Naturwissenschaften}, volume = {96}, year = {2009}, month = {Jan-01-2009}, pages = {143 - 146}, abstract = {

Audition in insects is of polyphyletic origin. Tympanal ears derived from proprioceptive or vibratory receptor organs, but many questions of the evolution of insect auditory systems are still open. Despite the rather typical bauplan of the insect body, e.g., with a fixed number of segments, tympanal ears evolved at very different places, but only ensiferans have ears at the foreleg tibia, located in the tibial organ. The homology and monophyly of ensiferan ears is controversial, and no precursor organ was unambig- uously identified for auditory receptors. The latter can only be identified by comparative study of recent atympanate taxa. These atympanate taxa are poorly investigated. In this paper, we report the neuroanatomy of the tibial organ of Comicus calcaris (Irish 1986 ), an atympanate Schizodactylid (splay-footed cricket). This representative of a Gondwana relict group has a tripartite sensory organ, homologous to tettigoniid ears. A comparison with morphology-based cladistic phylogeny indicates that the tripartite neuronal organization present in the m ajority of Tettigonioidea presumably preceded evolution of a hearing sense in the Tettigonioidea. Furthermore, the absence of a tripartite organ in Grylloidea argues against a monophyletic origin and homology of the cricket and katydid ears. The tracheal attachment of sensory neurons typical for ears of Tettigo- nioidea is present in C. calcaris and may have facilitated cooption for auditory function. The functional auditory organ was presumably formed in evolution by successive non-neural modifications of trachea and tympana. This first investigation of the neuroanatomy of Schizodactylidae suggests a non-auditory chordotonal organ as the precursor for auditory receptors of related tympanate taxa and adds evidence for the phylogenetic position of the group.

}, keywords = {hearing, neuroanatomy, Schizodactylidae, sensory evolution}, issn = {0028-1042}, doi = {10.1007/s00114-008-0450-4}, url = {http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s00114-008-0450-4}, author = {Strau{\ss}, Johannes and Lakes-Harlan, Reinhard} }