Summary
-
1.
The complex tibial organs in the prothoracic legs ofDecticus verrucivorus were stimulated simultaneously with air-borne sound and vibration.
-
2.
Glass micropipettes were used to record the activity of single units in the tympanal and subgenual nerves at the point where they entered the prothoracic ganglion.
-
3.
The receptor units are characterised by the following response criteria: Spontaneous activity, threshold dB, characteristic frequency, slope of the response/intensity curve. They could be physiologically classified into 3 main groups: a) pure sound receptors, b) mixed sound and vibration receptors and c) pure vibration units. In addition, the response characteristics of campaniform sensilla are demonstrated.
-
4.
The difficulty of ascribing any of these units to a particular origin at the complex tibial receptor organ is considered in the Discussion.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Autrum, H.: Über Gehör- und Erschütterungssinn bei Locustiden. Z. vergl. Physiol.28, 580–637 (1941)
Autrum, H.: Phasische und tonische Antworten vom Tympanalorgan vonTettigonia viridissima. Acustica10, 339–348 (1960)
Autrum, H., Schneider, W.: Vergleichende Untersuchungen über den Erschütterungssinn der Insekten. Z. vergl. Physiol.31, 77–88 (1948)
Bacon, J.P., Altman, J.S.: A silver intensification method for cobalt-filled neurons in wholemount preparations. Brain Res.138, 359–363 (1977)
Čokl, A., Kalmring, K., Wittig, H.: The responses of auditory ventral-cord neurons ofLocusta migratoria to vibration stimuli. J. comp. Physiol.120, 161–172 (1977)
Dambach, M.: Der Vibrationssinn der Grillen I. Schwellenmessungen an Beinen frei beweglicher Tiere. J. comp. Physiol.79, 281–304 (1972)
Dambach, M.: Der „Vibrationssinn“ bei Grillen. Umschau76, 683–684 (1976)
Hill, K.G., Boyan, G.S.: Sensitivity to frequency and direction of sound in the auditory system of crickets (Gryllidae). J. comp. Physiol.121, 79–97 (1977)
Johnstone, J.R.: Properties of ganglion cells from the extreme basal region of guinea pig cochlea. In: Psychophysics and physiology of hearing (eds. E.F. Evans, J.P. Wilson), pp. 89–99. London, New York, San Francisco: Academic Press 1977
Kalmring, K.: The afferent auditory pathway in the ventral cord ofLocusta migratoria (Acrididae). I. Synaptic connectivity and information processing among the auditory neurons of the ventral cord. J. comp. Physiol.104, 103–141 (1975)
Kalmring, K., Rheinlaender, J.: The afferent autidory system in the CNS of katydids and locustids. In: Mechanoreception (ed. J. Schwartzkopff). Abh. Rhein.-Westf. Akad. Wiss.53, 313–323 (1974)
Lewis, D.B.: The physiology of the tettigoniid ear. I–IV. J. exp. Biol.60, 821–869 (1974)
Lewis, D.B., Seymour, C., Broughton, W.B.: The response characteristics of the tympanal organs of two species of bush cricket and some studies of the problem of sound transmission. J. comp. Physiol.104, 325–351 (1975)
Markl, H.: Leistungen des Vibrationssinnes bei wirbellosen Tieren. Fortschr. Zool.21, 100–120 (1973)
Michelsen, A.: Frequency discrimination in the locust ear by means of four groups of receptor cells. Nature (Lond.)220, 585–586 (1968)
Michelsen, A.: The physiology of the locust ear. I. Frequency sensitivity of single cells in the isolated ear. Z. vergl. Physiol.71, 49–62 (1971)
Michelsen, A., Larsen, O.N.: Biophysics of the ensiferan ear. I. Tympanal vibrations in bushcrickets (Tettigoniidae), studied with laser vibrometry. J. comp. Physiol.123, 193–203 (1978)
Nocke, H.: Physical and physiological properties of the tettigoniid (Grasshopper) ear. J. comp. Physiol.100, 25–57 (1975)
Pumphrey, R.J.: Hearing in insects. Biol. Rev.15, 107–132 (1940)
Rehbein, H.G.: Experimentell-anatomische Untersuchungen über den Verlauf der Tympanalnervenfasern im Bauchmark von Feldheuschrecken, Laubheuschrecken und Grillen. Verh. dtsch. Zool. Ges.66, 184–189 (1972)
Rehbein, H.G., Kalmring, K., Römer, H.: Structure and function of acoustic neurons in the thoracic ventral nerve cord ofLocusta migratoria (Acrididae). J. comp. Physiol.95, 263–280 (1974)
Rheinlaender, J.: Transmission of acoustic information at three neuronal levels in the auditory system ofDecticus verrucivorus (Tettigoniidae, Orthoptera). J. comp. Physiol.97, 1–53 (1975)
Rheinlaender, J., Kalmring, K.: Die afferente Hörbahn im Bereich des Zentralnervensystems vonDecticus verrucivorus (Tettigoniidae). J. comp. Physiol.85, 361–410 (1973)
Russel, I.J., Sellick, P.M.: The tuning properties of cochlea hair cells. In: Psychophysics and physiology of hearing (eds. E.F. Evans, J.P. Wilson), pp. 71–78. London, New York, San Francisco: Academic Press 1977
Schnorbus, W.: Die subgenualen Sinnesorgane vonPeriplaneta americana: Histologie und Vibrationsschwellen. Z. vergl. Physiol.71, 14–48 (1971)
Schumacher, R.: Morphologische Untersuchungen der tibialen Tympanalorgane von neun einheimischen Laubheuschreckenarten (Orthoptera, Tettigonioidea). Z. Morph. Tiere75, 267–282 (1973)
Schwabe, J.: Beiträge zur Morphologie und Histologie der tympanalen Sinnesapparate der Orthopteren. Zoologica50, 1–154 (1906)
Schwartzkopff, J.: Principles of signal detection by the auditory pathway of invertebrates and vertebrates. In: Mechanoreception (ed. J. Schwartzkopff). Wiss. Abh. Rhein.-Westf. Akad. Wiss.53, 331–346 (1974)
Seymour, C., Lewis, B., Larsen, O.N., Michelsen, A.: Biophysics of the ensiferan ear. II. The steady-state gain of the hearing trumpet in bushcrickets. J. comp. Physiol.123, 205–216 (1978)
Zhantiev, R.D.: Frequency characteristics of tympanal organs in grasshoppers (Orthoptera, Tettigoniidae) [in Russian]. Zool. Zh. (Moscow)50, 507–514 (1971)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Part of the programme of the Sonderforschungsbereich 114 (Bionach) Bochum under the auspices of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Kalmring, K., Lewis, B. & Eichendorf, A. The physiological characteristics of the primary sensory neurons of the complex tibial organ ofDecticus verrucivorus L. (Orthoptera, Tettigonioidae). J. Comp. Physiol. 127, 109–121 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01352295
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01352295