What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine how wing posture and the angle of incidence alter the acoustic sensitivity and directional hearing of noctuid moth tympanic organs.

February 1, 1966Journal of Experimental Biology

Directional Sensitivity of the Ears of Noctuid Moths

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Authors

RPRoger PayneCitigroup KRKenneth D. RoederTufts University JWJames K. WallmanBoston Children's Hospital

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Implication

Laboratory physiological study demonstrates wing-position-dependent acoustic directional sensitivity in noctuid moths, indicating how flapping enables three-dimensional sound localization.

Key Points

To determine how wing posture and the angle of incidence alter the acoustic sensitivity and directional hearing of noctuid moth tympanic organs.
Mounted noctuid moths of several species in an acoustic free-space chamber across postures approximating normal flight wing positions.
Delivered brief ultrasound pulses at 30 and 60 kcyc./sec. across various angles relative to the insect body axis.
Recorded the minimum sound intensity required to evoke a constant electrophysiological response from the tympanic nerve.
Acoustic threshold intensity varied by up to 40 dB depending on sound source angle and wing elevation.
Raised wings caused ears to register sounds 20 to 40 dB louder on the ipsilateral side than the contralateral side, whereas lowered wings switched lateral asymmetry to dorsoventral asymmetry, with ventral sounds registering 10 to 25 dB louder than dorsal sounds.
Threshold patterns exhibited greater spatial complexity at 60 kcyc./sec. than at 30 kcyc./sec., consistent with a theoretical model for resolving sound direction in three dimensions over a complete wing cycle.

Cite This Study

Payne et al. (1966) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a927befde5a63b802a286c0 https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.44.1.17

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Implication

Laboratory physiological study demonstrates wing-position-dependent acoustic directional sensitivity in noctuid moths, indicating how flapping enables three-dimensional sound localization.

Directional Sensitivity of the Ears of Noctuid Moths

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Directional Sensitivity of the Ears of Noctuid Moths

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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