What is it about?

Several insect groups evolved a tympanic ear, composed by a scolopidial sense organ, a tracheal air space, and a tympanal membrane. We analysed the anatomy and physiology of the ear of the fly Emblemasoma auditrix, which is an acoustic parasitoid of the singing cicada Okanagana rimosa. We used micro-computed tomography and histology to analyse the aerial space in relation to the body morphology and physiology to characterise the tuning properties of auditory afferents and interneurons.

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Why is it important?

Although the ear of Emblemasoma auditrix is known for quite a while, it still is not understood properly how such a tiny fly can locate a sound source in the complex space of the habitat. Considered that the ear is 2,5 mm at its widest, it astonishing how precise the orientation mechanism works in the three-dimensional space.

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This page is a summary of: The Auditory System of the Dipteran ParasitoidEmblemasoma auditrix(Sarcophagidae), Journal of Insect Science, January 2016, Oxford University Press (OUP),
DOI: 10.1093/jisesa/iew062.
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