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Acoustic Communication in the Nocturnal Lepidoptera

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Insect Hearing and Acoustic Communication

Part of the book series: Animal Signals and Communication ((ANISIGCOM,volume 1))

Abstract

Pair formation in moths typically involves pheromones, but some pyraloid and noctuoid species use sound in mating communication. The signals are generally ultrasound, broadcast by males, and function in courtship. Long-range advertisement songs also occur which exhibit high convergence with communication in other acoustic species such as orthopterans and anurans. Tympanal hearing with sensitivity to ultrasound in the context of bat avoidance behavior is widespread in the Lepidoptera, and phylogenetic inference indicates that such perception preceded the evolution of song. This sequence suggests that male song originated via the sensory bias mechanism, but the trajectory by which ancestral defensive behavior in females—negative responses to bat echolocation signals—may have evolved toward positive responses to male song remains unclear. Analyses of various species offer some insight to this improbable transition, and to the general process by which signals may evolve via the sensory bias mechanism.

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Acknowledgments

I thank the U.S. National Science Foundation (grants IBN-9407162, DBI-0097223, IBN-9807915, DEB-0131708, IOB-0516634) and the Agence Nationale de la Recherche de France (ANR-07-BLAN-0113-01) for supporting research on acoustic communication in Achroia grisella.

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  1. Institut de recherche sur la biologie de l’insecte (IRBI), CNRS UMR 7261, Parc de Grandmont, Université François Rabelais de Tours, 37200, Tours, France

    Michael D. Greenfield

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Correspondence to Michael D. Greenfield .

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  1. Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Berthold Hedwig

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Greenfield, M.D. (2014). Acoustic Communication in the Nocturnal Lepidoptera. In: Hedwig, B. (eds) Insect Hearing and Acoustic Communication. Animal Signals and Communication, vol 1. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40462-7_6

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