Topic
Tymbal
About: Tymbal is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 73 publications have been published within this topic receiving 2168 citations.
Papers published on a yearly basis
Papers
TL;DR: These findings support the hypotheses that the clicks of arctiid moths are both an active defence (through echolocation disruption) and a reliable indicator of chemical defence against aerial-hawking bats.
Abstract: We studied the efficiency and effects of the multiple sensory cues of tiger moths on echolocating bats. We used the northern long-eared bat, Myotis septentrionalis , a purported moth specialist that takes surface-bound prey (gleaning) and airborne prey (aerial hawking), and the dogbane tiger moth, Cycnia tenera , an eared species unpalatable to bats that possesses conspicuous colouration and sound-producing organs (tymbals). This is the first study to investigate the interaction of tiger moths and wild-caught bats under conditions mimicking those found in nature and to demand the use of both aerial hawking and gleaning strategies by bats. Further, it is the first to report spectrograms of the sounds produced by tiger moths while under aerial attack by echolocating bats. During both aerial hawking and gleaning trials, all muted C. tenera and perched intact C. tenera were attacked by M. septentrionalis , indicating that M. septentrionalis did not discriminate C. tenera from palatable moths based on potential echoic and/or non-auditory cues. Intact C. tenera were attacked significantly less often than muted C. tenera during aerial hawking attacks: tymbal clicks were therefore an effective deterrent in an aerial hawking context. During gleaning attacks, intact and muted C. tenera were always attacked and suffered similar mortality rates, suggesting that while handling prey this bat uses primarily chemical signals. Our results also show that C. tenera temporally matches the onset of click production to the `approach phase' echolocation calls produced by aerial hawking attacking bats and that clicks themselves influence the echolocation behaviour of attacking bats. In the context of past research, these findings support the hypotheses that the clicks of arctiid moths are both an active defence (through echolocation disruption) and a reliable indicator of chemical defence against aerial-hawking bats. We suggest these signals are specialized for an aerial context.
76 citations
TL;DR: The tymbal muscle Fiber in the cicada closely resembles the indirect flight muscle fiber in its structural detail and is believed to add to the electrical capacity of the neuromuscular junction, to serve in transmission of potentials, and possibly is the site of the oscillating mechanism in high-frequency muscle fibers.
Abstract: The tymbal muscle fiber in the cicada closely resembles the indirect flight muscle fiber in its structural detail. We agree with other authors that the tymbal muscle is a modified indirect flight muscle. The peripheral nerve branches to the tymbal and flight muscle fibers are similar to those in the wasp leg. The axon is loosely mantled by irregular turns of the mesaxon, enclosing cytoplasm. The nerve is therefore a tunicated nerve. The neuromuscular junction in the high frequency muscle fibers shows direct apposition of plasma membranes of axon and muscle fiber, large numbers of mitochondria and synaptic vesicles in the axon, and concentrations of mitochondria, aposynaptic granules, and endoplasmic reticulum in the postsynaptic area of the muscle fiber. Of special interest is the multitude of intracellular, opposing membranes in the postsynaptic area. They form laminated stacks and whorls, vesicles, cysternae, and tubules. They occasionally show continuity with the plasma membrane, the outer nuclear envelope, and the circumfibrillar endoplasmic reticulum. The membrane system in this area is designated "rete synapticum." It is believed to add to the electrical capacity of the neuromuscular junction, to serve in transmission of potentials, and possibly is the site of the oscillating mechanism in high-frequency muscle fibers.
70 citations
TL;DR: The acoustic parameters of the arctiids surveyed revealed extremely high levels of variability in the sounds and these were predominantly ultrasonic and relatively faint compared with other insect sounds.
Abstract: Seventeen of the 24 species of Nearctic Arctiidae which we examined produced sounds under a variety of tactile and acoustic stimuli. Seven of 14 sound-producing species tested emitted their sounds in response to the hunting cries of insectivorous bats or simulations thereof. The sounds were generated by the buckling action of the microtymbal band (=striated band) on the surface of the modified thoracic metepisternum (=tymbal). Sound production is not dependent on the presence of microtymbals as four species of Callarctia possessed nonstriated, functional tymbals. In contrast, other species possessed striated, apparently nonfunctional tymbals.The sounds of the arctiids we studied were predominantly ultrasonic (> 20 kHz) and relatively faint (< 85 dB at 2 cm) compared with other insect sounds.The acoustic parameters of the arctiids surveyed revealed extremely high levels of variability in the sounds. Smaller species generally emit higher pulse repetition rates and more intense signals than larger ones. The ...
67 citations
TL;DR: In Cystosoma saundersii sound is generated by collapse of a pair of tymbals and radiated by a large, resonant, air-filled abdomen, which comprises a flexible, biconvex membrane bearing seven long ribs.
Abstract: 1. In Cystosoma saundersii sound is generated by collapse of a pair of tymbals and radiated by a large, resonant, air-filled abdomen. Each tymbal comprises a flexible, biconvex membrane bearing seven long ribs. Tymbal collapse is caused by contraction of a large tymbal muscle, which acts on the tymbal plate. Each tymbal muscle is innervated by one motor neurone.
2. A single collapse of a tymbal produces two distinct pulses of sound, one when rib 1 buckles and one when ribs 2-4 buckle. A quieter sound is produced when the ribs click outwards.
3. A slowly contracting tensor muscle increases the convexity and stiffness of the tymbal, resulting in a reduction in the delay between the first and second sound pulse and in louder pulses.
4. Protest songs contain features of other songs. There is a delay between the spike in one tymbal motor neurone and its partner, and hence between sound produced by one tymbal and the other, of one-quarter of the interval between spikes in one motor neurone alone.
5. Calling songs are produced by males at dusk. Sound pulses have a smooth envelope and are very loud as a result of contraction of the tensor muscles and extension of the abdomen.
6. Courtship songs are triggered in a calling male by the presence of a female. Song is quite quiet, and broken into short chirps.
62 citations
TL;DR: In chloephorine moth, there is a correlation between the structure and function of the smooth and striated tymbals that is strikingly similar to that in arctiid moths, although the two types of tymbal morphology have evolved independently.
Abstract: Male moths of the chloephorine species Pseudoips prasinana and Bena bicolorana produce clicks (approximately 100 dB peSPL at 10 cm) using ventral tymbal organs located in a cleft in the second abdominal sternite. Large muscles insert on the dorsal part of the tymbal frame and rhythmically flex a thin sheet of cuticle. Normally, each sound-production cycle contains four clicks, the left and right tymbals producing clicks both on active buckling caused by muscle contraction and on the passive elastic return from buckling. Histochemical staining indicated the presence of elastic resilin-like proteins in the tymbals. Obvious differences between the click patterns of the two species reflect differences in their tymbal morphology. P. prasinana has smooth tymbals and produces a single click (300 µs, 40 kHz) for each tymbal buckling. In contrast, B. bicolorana has striae on the medial part of the tymbals. Accordingly, it produces many clicks per buckling. The click pattern is a heterogeneous mixture of large clicks at 52 kHz, resembling those of P. prasinana, interspersed with series of broad-band clicks (20-100 kHz) of lower intensity (15-20 dB). Thus, in chloephorine moths, there is a correlation between the structure and function of the smooth and striated tymbals that is strikingly similar to that in arctiid moths, although the two types of tymbals have evolved independently. The hearing of P. prasinana is tuned to its own sounds with lowest threshold (38 dB SPL) at 40-60 kHz. We suggest that sound production in male chloephorines plays a part in sexual acoustic communication.
58 citations
Related Topics (5)
Performance Metrics
| Year | Papers |
|---|---|
| 2020 | 2 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2016 | 2 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2014 | 3 |