QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s):
Home     Help     Feedback     Subscriptions     Archive     Search     Table of Contents

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by JOSEPHSON, R. K. Articles by YOUNG, D. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by JOSEPHSON, R. K. Articles by YOUNG, D.

Journal of Experimental Biology 91,219-237 (1981)
Published by Company of Biologists 1981

Synchronous and Asynchronous Muscles in Cicadas

ROBERT K. JOSEPHSON ¹ and DAVID YOUNG ²

¹ School of Biological Sciences, University of California, Irvine, California 92717 U.S.A.
² Department of Zoology, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria 3052, Australia

1. The tymbal muscles of the cicada Cyclochila australasiae Donovan are synchronous, those of Platypleura capitata (Oliv.) asynchronous. The tymbal structure and the individual sound pulses are similar in the two species. The sound pulse frequency during calling song is higher in P. capitata (389 Hz) than in C. australasiae (234 Hz).

2. Muscle action potentials during protest songs are simultaneous in the two tymbal muscles of P. capitata, alternating in C. australasiae. Each action potential, or direct electrical stimulus to the muscle, is followed by a single, sometimes bimodal, sound pulse in C. australasiae, and by a burst of sound pulses in P. capitata.

3. The isometric twitch duration (30 °C) is much longer in P. capitata (107 ms) than in C. australasiae (18 ms) and the tetanic fusion frequency correspondingly lower.

4. Myofibrils are slightly wider and sarcoplasmic reticulum much sparser in tymbal muscles of P. capitata than in those of C. australasiae; otherwise the muscles are structurally similar.

5. Flight muscles in both species are synchronous with an action potential for each contraction.

6. Tymbal muscles of the two species are used to illustrate the diagnostic features of synchronous and asynchronous muscles.

Note:
^*This paper is dedicated to the late Professor K. D. Roeder who contributed importantly to the development of concepts about asynchronous muscle.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				D. A. Syme and R. K. Josephson How to Build Fast Muscles: Synchronous and Asynchronous Designs Integr. Comp. Biol., August 1, 2002; 42(4): 762 - 770. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				U. Rose, M. Ferber, and R. Hustert Maturation of muscle properties and its hormonal control in an adult insect J. Exp. Biol., March 12, 2002; 204(20): 3531 - 3545. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. K. Josephson, J. G. Malamud, and D. R. Stokes The efficiency of an asynchronous flight muscle from a beetle J. Exp. Biol., January 12, 2001; 204(23): 4125 - 4139. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. Josephson, J. Malamud, and D. Stokes Power output by an asynchronous flight muscle from a beetle J. Exp. Biol., January 9, 2000; 203(17): 2667 - 2689. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. Josephson, J. Malamud, and D. Stokes Asynchronous muscle: a primer J. Exp. Biol., January 9, 2000; 203(18): 2713 - 2722. [Abstract] [PDF]

				L. C. Rome, C. Cook, D. A. Syme, M. A. Connaughton, M. Ashley-Ross, A. Klimov, B. Tikunov, and Y. E. Goldman Trading force for speed: Why superfast crossbridge kinetics leads to superlow forces PNAS, May 11, 1999; 96(10): 5826 - 5831. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M Girgenrath and R. Marsh Power output of sound-producing muscles in the tree frogs Hyla versicolor and Hyla chrysoscelis J. Exp. Biol., January 11, 1999; 202(22): 3225 - 3237. [Abstract] [PDF]

				H. Bennet-Clark and A. Daws Transduction of mechanical energy into sound energy in the cicada cyclochila australasiae J. Exp. Biol., January 7, 1999; 202(13): 1803 - 1817. [Abstract] [PDF]