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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Structure and sensory physiology of the leg scolopidial organs in Mantophasmatodea and their role in vibrational communication
Arthropod Structure and Development, Volume 39, No. 4, Year 2010
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Description
Individuals of the insect order Mantophasmatodea use species-specific substrate vibration signals for mate recognition and location. In insects, substrate vibration is detected by mechanoreceptors in the legs, the scolopidial organs. In this study we give a first detailed overview of the structure, sensory sensitivity, and function of the leg scolopidial organs in two species of Mantophasmatodea and discuss their significance for vibrational communication. The structure and number of the organs are documented using light microscopy, SEM, and x-ray microtomography. Five scolopidial organs were found in each leg of male and female Mantophasmatodea: a femoral chordotonal organ, subgenual organ, tibial distal organ, tibio-tarsal scolopidial organ, and tarso-pretarsal scolopidial organ. The femoral chordotonal organ, consisting of two separate scoloparia, corresponds anatomically to the organ of a stonefly (Nemoura variegata) while the subgenual organ complex resembles the very sensitive organs of the cockroach Periplatena americana (Blattodea). Extracellular recordings from the leg nerve revealed that the leg scolopidial organs of Mantophasmatodea are very sensitive vibration receptors, especially for low-frequency vibrations. The dominant frequencies of the vibratory communication signals of Mantophasmatodea, acquired from an individual drumming on eight different substrates, fall in the frequency range where the scolopidial organs are most sensitive. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Authors & Co-Authors
Eberhard, Monika J.B.
Austria, Vienna
Universität Wien
Lang, Dirk M.
South Africa, Cape Town
Faculty of Health Sciences
Metscher, Brian Douglas
Austria, Vienna
Universität Wien
Pass, Günther
Austria, Vienna
Universität Wien
Picker, Mike D.
South Africa, Cape Town
University of Cape Town
Wolf, Harald
Germany, Ulm
Universität Ulm
Statistics
Citations: 51
Authors: 6
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.asd.2010.02.002
ISSN:
14678039
Participants Gender
Male
Female