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First published online October 5, 2006
Journal of Experimental Biology 209, 4115-4128 (2006)
Published by The Company of Biologists 2006
doi: 10.1242/jeb.02460

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Tuning the drum: the mechanical basis for frequency discrimination in a Mediterranean cicada

Jérôme Sueur^1,*, James F. C. Windmill² and Daniel Robert²

¹ NAMC-CNRS UMR 8620, Bât. 446, Université Paris XI, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France
² School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Woodland Road, Bristol, BS8 1UG, UK

^* Author for correspondence (e-mail: Jerome.Sueur{at}ibaic.u-psud.fr)

Accepted 25 July 2006

Cicadas are known to use sound to find a mate. While the mechanism employed by male cicadas to generate loud calling songs has been described in detail, little information exists to explain how their ears work. Using microscanning laser Doppler vibrometry, the tympanal vibrations in the cicada Cicadatra atra are measured in response to acoustic playbacks. The topographically accurate optical measurements reveal the vibrational behaviour of the anatomically complex tympanal membrane. Notably, the tympanal ridge, a distinct structural element of the tympanum that is a link to the receptor cells, undergoes mechanical vibrations reminiscent of a travelling wave. In effect, the frequency for which the maximum deflection amplitude is observed regularly decreases from the apex to the base of the ridge. It is also shown that whilst female ears are mechanically tuned to the male's song, the male's tympanum is only partially tuned to its own song. This study establishes the presence of a peripheral auditory mechanism that can potentially process auditory frequency analysis. In view of the importance of acoustic signalling in cicadas, this unconventional tympanal mechanism may be employed in the context of species recognition and sexual selection.

Key words: biomechanics, hearing, tympanum, travelling wave, frequency discrimination, cicada

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Sueur, J. F. C. Windmill, and D. Robert Sexual dimorphism in auditory mechanics: tympanal vibrations of Cicada orni J. Exp. Biol., August 1, 2008; 211(15): 2379 - 2387. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

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