Anti-bat flight activity in sound-producing versus silent moths

2008 ◽  
Vol 86 (6) ◽  
pp. 582-587 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Ratcliffe ◽  
Amanda R. Soutar ◽  
Katherine E. Muma ◽  
Cassandra Guignion ◽  
James H. Fullard
Keyword(s):  
Flight Time ◽  
Flight Activity ◽  
Echolocation Calls ◽  
Successful Reproduction ◽  
Tiger Moth ◽  
Moth Species ◽  
Presence And Absence ◽  
Tiger Moths ◽  
Palatable Species

The ultrasonic clicks produced by some tiger moths — all of which possess bat-detecting ears — are effective acoustic aposematic or mimetic signals, conferring protection against aerial hawking bats. Clicks are produced in response to bat echolocation calls. Palatable, silent non-tiger-moth species with bat-detecting ears fly away from distant bats and effect erratic flight maneuvers or stop flying in response to the calls of bats nearby. These flight responses are also an effective defense. We tested the hypotheses that sound-producing tiger moths (i) do not exhibit the reduction in flight time typical of silent, palatable moth species when presented with ultrasound simulating bat echolocation calls and (ii) exhibit more flight activity than silent, palatable species both in the presence and absence of ultrasound. We found that sound-producing tiger moths did not significantly reduce flight activity to bat-like sounds and that silent tiger moths and other noctuoid species did. We also found that sound-producing tiger moths flew significantly more than did silent species in both the presence and the absence of ultrasound. The benefits of acoustic aposematism may allow sound producers to spend more time aloft than silent species and thereby improve their chances of successful reproduction.

scholarly journals Tiger moths and the threat of bats: decision-making based on the activity of a single sensory neuron

2009 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 368-371 ◽  
Author(s):  
John M. Ratcliffe ◽  
James H. Fullard ◽  
Benjamin J. Arthur ◽  
Ronald R. Hoy
Keyword(s):  
Sound Production ◽  
Sufficient Information ◽  
Auditory Neuron ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Echolocation Calls ◽  
Tiger Moth ◽  
Prey Interaction ◽  
The Face ◽  
Tiger Moths ◽  
And Function

Echolocating bats and eared moths are a model system of predator–prey interaction within an almost exclusively auditory world. Through selective pressures from aerial-hawking bats, noctuoid moths have evolved simple ears that contain one to two auditory neurons and function to detect bat echolocation calls and initiate defensive flight behaviours. Among these moths, some chemically defended and mimetic tiger moths also produce ultrasonic clicks in response to bat echolocation calls; these defensive signals are effective warning signals and may interfere with bats' ability to process echoic information. Here, we demonstrate that the activity of a single auditory neuron (the A1 cell) provides sufficient information for the toxic dogbane tiger moth, Cycnia tenera , to decide when to initiate defensive sound production in the face of bats. Thus, despite previous suggestions to the contrary, these moths' only other auditory neuron, the less sensitive A2 cell, is not necessary for initiating sound production. However, we found a positive linear relationship between combined A1 and A2 activity and the number of clicks the dogbane tiger moth produces.

scholarly journals A REVIEW OF TIGER MOTHS (LEPIDOPTERA: EREBIDAE: ARCTIINAE: ARCTIINI) FROM FLORES ISLAND, LESSER SUNDA ARCHIPELAGO, WITH DESCRIPTION OF A NEW SPECIES AND NEW SUBSPECIES

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan N. Bolotov ◽  
Alexander V. Kondakov ◽  
Vitaly M. Spitsyn
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
The Body ◽  
Moderate Level ◽  
New Subspecies ◽  
Tiger Moth ◽  
Local Endemic ◽  
Moth Species ◽  
Tiger Moths ◽  
A New Species

The Wallacean Region is considered a unique evolutionary hotspot, but the current knowledge of lepidopteran faunas on certain islands is very far from being complete. Here we present a preliminary checklist of the Arctiini fauna of the Flores Island based on available collection materials and a review of the body of literature. In total, for the island fauna we list 22 tiger moth species, with eight newly recorded species. Among novel records, local endemic Spilarctia mikeli Bolotov, Kondakov & Spitsyn sp. nov. and Aloa cardinalis danau Bolotov, Kondakov & Spitsyn ssp. nov. were discovered. Additionally, several taxa with broad ranges such as Amerila astreus, Creatonotos gangis, Euchromia horsfieldi, Lemyra maculifascia, Nyctemera distincta and Utetheisa pulchelloides were new for the island fauna. In general, 15 taxa are prospective endemic Wallacean elements, among which seven taxa are unknown outside the Flores Island: Orhantarctia cymbalophoroides, Lemyra everetti, L. floresina, Aethalida owadai floresiensis, Nyctemera scalarium regalis, Spilarctia mikeli sp. nov. and Aloa cardinalis danau ssp. nov. Our findings reveal that the tiger moth fauna of the Flores Island has rather moderate level of endemism, with only 32% of putative endemic taxa.

scholarly journals Anti-bat tiger moth sounds: Form and function

2010 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 358-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aaron J. Corcoran ◽  
William E. Conner ◽  
Jesse R. Barber
Keyword(s):  
Duty Cycle ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Form And Function ◽  
Low Duty Cycle ◽  
Tiger Moth ◽  
Moth Species ◽  
Tiger Moths ◽  
And Function ◽  
North And South America ◽  
North And South

Abstract The night sky is the venue of an ancient acoustic battle between echolocating bats and their insect prey. Many tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae) answer the attack calls of bats with a barrage of high frequency clicks. Some moth species use these clicks for acoustic aposematism and mimicry, and others for sonar jamming, however, most of the work on these defensive functions has been done on individual moth species. We here analyze the diversity of structure in tiger moth sounds from 26 species collected at three locations in North and South America. A principal components analysis of the anti-bat tiger moth sounds reveals that they vary markedly along three axes: (1) frequency, (2) duty cycle (sound production per unit time) and frequency modulation, and (3) modulation cycle (clicks produced during flexion and relaxation of the sound producing tymbal) structure. Tiger moth species appear to cluster into two distinct groups: one with low duty cycle and few clicks per modulation cycle that supports an acoustic aposematism function, and a second with high duty cycle and many clicks per modulation cycle that is consistent with a sonar jamming function. This is the first evidence from a community-level analysis to support multiple functions for tiger moth sounds. We also provide evidence supporting an evolutionary history for the development of these strategies. Furthermore, cross-correlation and spectrogram correlation measurements failed to support a “phantom echo” mechanism underlying sonar jamming, and instead point towards echo interference.

scholarly journals The first record of Diacrisia metelkana (Lederer, 1861) for Kazakhstan with notes on its bionomics and distribution (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiinae, Arctiini)

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 96-101
Author(s):  
Sergey V. Titov ◽  
Anton V. Volynkin
Keyword(s):  
First Record ◽  
General Distribution ◽  
Time Data ◽  
Tiger Moth ◽  
Moth Species ◽  
First Time

The Amphipalaearctic tiger moth species Diacrisia metelkana (Lederer, 1861) is reported for Kazakhstan for the first time. Data on species’ bionomics in Kazakhstan and general distribution are provided. Species’ habitats in Kazakhstan are illustrated.

scholarly journals Frequency-dependent flight activity in the colour polymorphic wood tiger moth

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (4) ◽  
pp. 765-772 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bibiana Rojas ◽  
Armando Luis-MartÍnez ◽  
Johanna Mappes
Keyword(s):  
Warning Signal ◽  
Flight Activity ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Frequency Dependent ◽  
Sustained Activity ◽  
White Males ◽  
Tiger Moth ◽  
Parasemia Plantaginis ◽  
Potential Frequency

Abstract Predators efficiently learn to avoid one type of warning signal rather than several, making colour polymorphisms unexpected. Aposematic wood tiger moth males Parasemia plantaginis have either white or yellow hindwing coloration across Europe. Previous studies indicate that yellow males are better defended from predators, while white males have a positively frequency-dependent mating advantage. However, the potential frequency-dependent behavioural differences in flight between the morphs, as well as the role of male-male interactions in inducing flying activity, have not been previously considered. We ran an outdoor cage experiment where proportions of both male morphs were manipulated to test whether flying activity was frequencydependent and differed between morphs. The white morph was significantly more active than the yellow one across all treatments, and sustained activity for longer. Overall activity for both morphs was considerably lower in the yellow-biased environment, suggesting that higher proportions of yellow males in a population may lead to overall reduced flying activity. The activity of the yellow morph also followed a steeper, narrower curve than that of the white morph during peak female calling activity. We suggest that white males, with their presumably less costly defences, have more resources to invest in flight for predator escape and finding mates. Yellow males, which are better protected but less sexually selected, may instead compensate their lower flight activity by ‘flying smart’ during the peak female-calling periods. Thus, both morphs may be able to behaviourally balance the trade-off between warning signal selection and sexual selection. Our results emphasize the greater need to investigate animal behaviour and colour polymorphisms in natural or semi-natural environments.

scholarly journals To quiver or to shiver: increased melanization benefits thermoregulation, but reduces warning signal efficacy in the wood tiger moth

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1755) ◽  
pp. 20122812 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert H. Hegna ◽  
Ossi Nokelainen ◽  
Jonathan R. Hegna ◽  
Johanna Mappes
Keyword(s):  
Field Experiments ◽  
Warning Signal ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Signal Efficacy ◽  
Extensive Field ◽  
Tiger Moth ◽  
Thermal Measurements ◽  
Selective Forces ◽  
Parasemia Plantaginis ◽  
Tiger Moths

Melanin production is often considered costly, yet beneficial for thermoregulation. Studies of variation in melanization and the opposing selective forces that underlie its variability contribute greatly to understanding natural selection. We investigated whether melanization benefits are traded off with predation risk to promote observed local and geographical variation in the warning signal of adult male wood tiger moths ( Parasemia plantaginis ). Warning signal variation is predicted to reduce survival in aposematic species. However, in P. plantaginis , male hindwings are either yellow or white in Europe, and show continuous variation in melanized markings that cover 20 to 90 per cent of the hindwing. We found that the amount of melanization increased from 40 to 59 per cent between Estonia (58° N) and north Finland (67° N), suggesting melanization carries thermoregulatory benefits. Our thermal measurements showed that more melanic individuals warmed up more quickly on average than less melanic individuals, which probably benefits flight in cold temperatures. With extensive field experiments in central Finland and the Alpine region, we found that more melanic individuals suffered increased predation. Together, our data suggest that warning signal efficiency is constrained by thermoregulatory benefits. Differences in relative costs and benefits of melanin probably help to maintain the geographical warning signal differences.

Laboratory evaluation of flight activity of Dendroctonus armandi (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae)

2010 ◽  
Vol 142 (4) ◽  
pp. 378-387 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Chen ◽  
Zhen Li ◽  
Ming Tang
Keyword(s):  
Flight Time ◽  
Flight Activity ◽  
Shaanxi Province ◽  
Flight Distance ◽  
Laboratory Evaluation ◽  
Flight Behaviour ◽  
Republic Of China ◽  
Chinese White ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Artificial Illumination

AbstractDendroctonus armandi Tsai and Li is an important native pest of Chinese white pine (Pinus armandii Franch. (Pinaceae)) in the Qinling Mountains of Shaanxi Province, People's Republic of China. Populations can reach epidemic levels and cause widespread mortality of trees in forest ecosystems. We studied the flight behaviour of D. armandi collected under controlled conditions using a flight-mill system to gather information to aid in its management. Our results indicate that D. armandi has three distinct flight patterns (intermittent flight, short-burst flight, and sustained uninterrupted flight). There were no significant differences in flight performance between males and females. Median daily values for total distance traveled, total flight time, and maximum uninterrupted flight time were 275.1 m day−1, 815 s day−1, and 40 s day−1, respectively (n = 148). Individuals displayed positive phototactic behaviour: total flight distance and total flight time were greater under artificial illumination than in natural light or darkness. The level of flight activity increased throughout the morning, remained high during the afternoon (1400–1600), dropped considerably at 1800, and was lowest at midnight. There was no significant difference in flight distance or flight time between the first and second generations. From the data collected, it is clear that the phototactic response is an important factor in the flight behaviour of D. armandi and may influence its spatial dispersal.

scholarly journals Characteristics of tiger moth (Erebidae: Arctiinae) anti-bat sounds can be predicted from tymbal morphology

2019 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas J. Dowdy ◽  
William E. Conner
Keyword(s):  
Evolutionary History ◽  
Sound Production ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Strong Positive Correlation ◽  
Acoustic Characteristics ◽  
Tiger Moth ◽  
Shared Ancestry ◽  
History Of ◽  
Tiger Moths ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background Acoustic signals are used by many animals to transmit information. Variation in the acoustic characteristics of these signals often covaries with morphology and can relay information about an individual’s fitness, sex, species, and/or other characteristics important for both mating and defense. Tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) use modified cuticular plates called “tymbal organs” to produce ultrasonic clicks which can aposematically signal their toxicity, mimic the signals of other species, or, in some cases, disrupt bat echolocation. The morphology of the tymbal organs and the sounds they produce vary greatly between species, but it is unclear how the variation in morphology gives rise to the variation in acoustic characteristics. This is the first study to determine how the morphological features of tymbals can predict the acoustic characteristics of the signals they produce. Results We show that the number of striations on the tymbal surface (historically known as “microtymbals”) and, to a lesser extent, the ratio of the projected surface area of the tymbal to that of the thorax have a strong, positive correlation with the number of clicks a moth produces per unit time. We also found that some clades have significantly different regression coefficients, and thus the relationship between microtymbals and click rate is also dependent on the shared ancestry of different species. Conclusions Our predictive model allows the click rates of moths to be estimated using preserved material (e.g., from museums) in cases where live specimens are unavailable. This has the potential to greatly accelerate our understanding of the distribution of sound production and acoustic anti-bat strategies employed by tiger moths. Such knowledge will generate new insights into the evolutionary history of tiger moth anti-predator defenses on a global scale.

scholarly journals Jamming bat echolocation: the dogbane tiger moth Cycnia tenera times its clicks to the terminal attack calls of the big brown bat Eptesicus fuscus.

1994 ◽  
Vol 194 (1) ◽  
pp. 285-298 ◽  
Author(s):  
J H Fullard ◽  
J A Simmons ◽  
P A Saillant
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Eptesicus Fuscus ◽  
Terminal Phase ◽  
Stationary Target ◽  
Natural Context ◽  
Tiger Moth ◽  
Big Brown Bat ◽  
Tiger Moths ◽  
Successful Capture ◽  
Jamming Effect

Certain tiger moths emit high-frequency clicks to an attacking bat, causing it to break off its pursuit. The sounds may either orient the bat by providing it with information that it uses to make an attack decision (aposematism) or they may disorient the bat by interrupting the normal flow of echo information required to complete a successful capture (startle, jamming). At what point during a bat's attack does an arctiid emit its clicks? If the sounds are aposematic, the moth should emit them early in the attack echolocation sequence in order to allow the bat time to understand their meaning. If, however, the sounds disrupt the bat's echo-processing behaviour, one would expect them to be emitted later in the attack to maximize their confusion effects. To test this, we exposed dogbane tiger moths (Cycnia tenera) to a recording of the echolocation sequence emitted by a big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) as it attacked a stationary target. Our results demonstrate that, at normal echolocation intensities, C. tenera does not respond to approach calls but waits until the terminal phase of the attack before emitting its clicks. This timing is evident whether the moth is stationary or flying and is largely independent of the intensity of the echolocation calls. These results support the hypothesis of a jamming effect (e.g. 'phantom echoes') and suggest that, to determine experimentally the effects of arctiid clicks on bats, it is important that the bats be tested under conditions that simulate the natural context in which this defence operates.

An Experimental Campaign with Light Aircraft against Flying Locust Swarms in New South Wales

1958 ◽  
Vol 49 (3) ◽  
pp. 497-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Casimir
Keyword(s):  
New South ◽  
New South Wales ◽  
Diesel Oil ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Migration Routes ◽  
South Wales ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Tiger Moth ◽  
Tiger Moths ◽  
Effective Use

SummaryA campaign in New South Wales against flying swarms of the Australian Plague Locust, Chortoicetes terminifera (Wlk.), using Tiger Moth light aircraft, is described. Large rolling swarms of this locust, travelling across the open plains of western New South Wales, are directed in their general south-easterly move ment by natural barriers in such a way that regular migration routes are followed and predictions of swarm movements can be made. Of particular importance are the timber fringes of creeks and rivers which tend to baulk swarms temporarily and it was in such situations that locust swarms proved most susceptible to treatment by a manoeuvrable aircraft.A technique of drift spraying was developed wherein aircraft were able to operate without ground direction against travelling swarms by spraying at right- angles to the wind direction and by using the main body of the flying locusts for demarcation. Large numbers of short spraying runs were made in rapid succes sion over the most dense portions of the swarm being treated until control was achieved. It was found that the spacing of the runs was not particularly important as long as each was applied to the densest portions of the swarm. The light and relatively slow-moving Tiger Moths proved highly suitable for this work and they were also useful for scouting and keeping track of swarms. Observations made after spraying indicated that the coherent flying swarms treated in the open plains were almost completely eliminated. If, however, swarms were able to reach closely settled or heavily timbered areas they tended to split and disperse and were difficult to treat. The insecticide used was an emulsifiable concentrate containing 7 per cent. γ BHC, which was diluted with diesel oil, and one gallon of liquid containing 5·6 oz. of γ BHC was designed to cover one acre. However, as the campaign progressed, effective use of the spray was probably obtained at less than one gallon per acre, and a total area of 30–37 square miles of dense swarms was treated at a cost of approximately £13,700. There is scope for an improvement in the efficiency of the spraying technique as well as a reduction in some of the major costs in any future campaign.It was considered that the campaign carried out in the Ivanhoe—Hillston district completely controlled all swarms in the area and protected from invasion valuable farming lands to the south-east. Further spraying operations, in the Jerilderie district, 150 miles away, were less successful, although many mor locusts were killed. The spraying party arrived in the district too late to plah a strategic campaign and some swarms escaped treatment.It is concluded that the method of aerial drift spraying is capable of wider application in Australia, particularly in areas where problems of distance, popula tion and lack of facilities militate against successful control by ground machinery.

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