The evolutionary convergence of hearing in a parasitoid fly and its cricket host.
Parasitism is a widespread and diverse life strategy that connects species throughout the animal kingdom. Female parasitoid flies of the genus Ormia must find a specific cricket host on which to deposit their parasitic maggots. To reproduce, female flies must perform the same task as female crickets: find a singing male cricket. These flies have evolved a unique hearing organ that allows them to detect and locate singing male crickets. Through evolutionary convergence, these flies possess a hearing organ that much more resembles a cricket's ear than a typical fly's ear, allowing these parasitoids to take advantage of the sensory ecological niche of their host.
Robert
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Section of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.
Amoroso
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Hoy
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RR
D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D004175:Diptera / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000502:physiology*; D004423:Ear / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005260:Female; D006135:Gryllidae / Q000469:parasitology*; D006309:Hearing; D008297:Male; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D013016:Sound; D014828:Vocalization, Animal