Mechanical response of the tympanal membranes of the tree cricket Oecanthus henryi

Mhatre, Natasha and Montealegre, Z Fernando and Balakrishnan, Rohini and Robert, Daniel (2009) Mechanical response of the tympanal membranes of the tree cricket Oecanthus henryi. In: Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology, 195 (5). pp. 453-452.

PDF fulltext.pdfd.pdf - Published Version Restricted to Registered users only Download (1MB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Crickets have two tympanal membranes on the tibiae of each foreleg. Among several field cricket species of the genus Gryllus (Gryllinae), the posterior tympanal membrane (PTM) is significantly larger than the anterior membrane (ATM). Laser Doppler vibrometric measurements have shown that the smaller ATM does not respond as much as the PTM to sound. Hence the PTM has been suggested to be the principal tympanal acoustic input to the auditory organ. In tree crickets (Oecanthinae), the ATM is slightly larger than the PTM. Both membranes are structurally complex, presenting a series of transverse folds on their surface, which are more pronounced on the ATM than on the PTM. The mechanical response of both membranes to acoustic stimulation was investigated using microscanning laser Doppler vibrometry. Only a small portion of the membrane surface deflects in response to sound. Both membranes exhibit similar frequency responses, and move out of phase with each other, producing compressions and rarefactions of the tracheal volume backing the tympanum. Therefore, unlike field crickets, tree crickets may have four instead of two functional tympanal membranes. This is interesting in the context of the outstanding question of the role of spiracular inputs in the auditory system of tree crickets.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Publication:	Journal of Comparative Physiology A: Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology
Publisher:	Springer
Additional Information:	Copy right of this article belongs to Springer.
Keywords:	Auditory organ; Cricket; Orthoptera; Eardrum; Tree cricket
Department/Centre:	Division of Biological Sciences > Centre for Ecological Sciences
Date Deposited:	12 Mar 2010 05:56
Last Modified:	19 Sep 2010 05:56
URI:	http://eprints.iisc.ac.in/id/eprint/26061

Actions (login required)

View Item