Summary
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1.
The directionality of the auditory organ in the cricketsGryllus campestris andTeleogryllus oceanicus was investigated by recording auditory responses in the prothoracic leg nerve using a whole-nerve recording technique.
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2.
In both species the occurrence of substantial left-right directionality was maximal at frequencies around the carrier frequency of the respective calling songs (Figs. 3, 6).
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3.
Blockage experiments indicated that the input of sound into the auditory system via the acoustic spiracles was more important than the input via the contralateral tympanum (Figs. 4, 8); blockage of both spiracles eliminated almost all directionality, whereas blockage of the contralateral tympanum had very little effect.
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4.
Unilateral spiracular blockage demonstrated that input from both spiracles is necessary for a normal directionality pattern. Blockage of the contralateral spiracle reduced the maximum left-right difference from 28 dB, in the intact state, to 8 dB. Ipsilateral spiracular blockage produced a supercardioid directionality pattern (Fig. 5).
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5.
Investigations into the transmission of sound to the rear surface of the posterior tympanum via the spiracles and the contralateral tympanum confirmed, for both species, that the spiracles provide greater input into the auditory system than the contralateral tympanum. The ipsilateral spiracle provides a slightly greater input than the contralateral spiracle (Fig. 9).
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Boyd, P., Lewis, B. Peripheral auditory directionality in the cricketGryllus campestris L.,Teleogryllus oceanicus Le Guillou). J. Comp. Physiol. 153, 523–532 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612606
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00612606