Ultrastructure and electrophysiology of thermosensitive sensilla coeloconica in a tropical katydid of the genus Mecopoda (Orthoptera,Tettigoniidae) |
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Authors: | Erik S. Schneider Christoph J. Kleineidam Gerd Leitinger Heinrich Römer |
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Affiliation: | 1. Institute of Zoology, University of Graz, Universitätsplatz 2/1, 8010 Graz, Austria;2. Behavioral Neurobiology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany;3. Research Unit Electron Microscopic Techniques, Department of Cell Biology, Histology and Embryology, Gottfried Schatz Research Center, Medical University of Graz, Neue Stiftingtalstraße 6, 8010 Graz, Austria |
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Abstract: | In many acoustic insects, mate finding and mate choice are primarily based on acoustic signals. In several species with high-intensity calling songs, such as the studied katydid Mecopoda sp., males exhibit an increase in their thoracic temperature during singing, which is linearly correlated with the amount of energy invested in song production. If this increased body temperature is used by females as an additional cue to assess the male's quality during mate choice, as has been recently hypothesized (“hot-male” hypothesis), thermosensory structures would be required to evaluate this cue. In the present study, therefore, we investigated the ultrastructure and physiology of thermosensitive sensilla coeloconica on the antennal flagella of Mecopoda sp. using a combination of electron microscopy and electrophysiological recording techniques.We could identify three distinct types of sensilla coeloconica based on differences in the number and branching pattern of their dendrites. Physiological recordings revealed the innervation by antagonistically responding thermoreceptors (cold and warm) and bimodal hygro-/thermoreceptors (moist or dry) in various combinations. Our findings indicate that Mecopoda sp. females are capable of detecting a singing male from distances of at least several centimetres solely by assessing thermal cues. |
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Keywords: | Thermoreceptor Hygroreceptor Infrared receptor Mate choice Ensiferan Peg-in-pit sensilla sensilla coeloconica dendritic inner segment dendritic outer segment dendritic sheath poreless with inflexible socket |
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