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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 54(1)

Evolution of hearing in moths: the ears of Oenosandra boisduvalii (Noctuoidea : Oenosandridae)

James H. Fullard
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Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Road North, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada L5L 1C6. Email: jfullard@utm.utoronto.ca

Australian Journal of Zoology 54(1) 51-56 https://doi.org/10.1071/ZO05066
Submitted: 4 November 2005  Accepted: 12 January 2006   Published: 23 March 2006

Abstract

The ears of Oenosandra boisduvalii (Oenosandridae), as a representative of this heretofore unstudied family of moths, were electrophysiologically examined from specimens captured in South Australia. Male and female moths possess ears with two auditory receptor neurons that are similarly sensitive and tuned to the frequencies emitted by sympatric bats, suggesting that both sexes face equal predation pressures from aerially foraging bats. The two-celled ear of this moth supports the independence of the Oenosandridae from its previous affiliation with the Notodontidae, whose single auditory neuron remains a unique character within the Noctuoidea. The general insensitivity of its ear, however, resembles that of the notodontid moth and is surprising considering the diversity of insectivorous bats that forms its predation potential.


Acknowledgments

I thank Lorraine and Trent Jenkins (Port Lincoln) and Michelle Venance for their help in the field and Jim Miller (American Museum of Natural History), Don LaFontaine (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada) and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on the manuscript. Peter Wall (SeM Corp) developed the sound-generating software. This study was funded by a Discovery Grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada.


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