Moth tails divert bat attack: evolution of acoustic deflection

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Jesse R BarberAkito Y Kawahara

Abstract

Adaptations to divert the attacks of visually guided predators have evolved repeatedly in animals. Using high-speed infrared videography, we show that luna moths (Actias luna) generate an acoustic diversion with spinning hindwing tails to deflect echolocating bat attacks away from their body and toward these nonessential appendages. We pit luna moths against big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) and demonstrate a survival advantage of ∼ 47% for moths with tails versus those that had their tails removed. The benefit of hindwing tails is equivalent to the advantage conferred to moths by bat-detecting ears. Moth tails lured bat attacks to these wing regions during 55% of interactions between bats and intact luna moths. We analyzed flight kinematics of moths with and without hindwing tails and suggest that tails have a minimal role in flight performance. Using a robust phylogeny, we find that long spatulate tails have independently evolved four times in saturniid moths, further supporting the selective advantage of this anti-bat strategy. Diversionary tactics are perhaps more common than appreciated in predator-prey interactions. Our finding suggests that focusing on the sensory ecologies of key predators will reveal such countermeasur...Continue Reading

Associated Datasets

Feb 6, 2015·Christopher J.W. McClureJesse R. Barber

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May 6, 2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Akito Y Kawahara, Jesse R Barber

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Citations

Jan 23, 2016·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Tom C L BridgeRandall K Kosaki
May 6, 2015·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Akito Y Kawahara, Jesse R Barber
Jun 3, 2016·The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America·Wu-Jung Lee, Cynthia F Moss
Aug 12, 2016·Scientific Reports·Veronica L BuraJayne E Yack
Apr 21, 2018·Biodiversity Data Journal·Ian J KitchingAkito Y Kawahara
Jun 3, 2016·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Hannah M Ter Hofstede, John M Ratcliffe
Feb 23, 2019·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Camille Le RoyViolaine Llaurens
Jun 4, 2020·Journal of the Royal Society, Interface·Mourad Jaffar-BandjeeJérôme Casas
Sep 2, 2020·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Mary K Salcedo, John J Socha
Nov 20, 2016·Annual Review of Entomology·Charles MitterMichael P Cummings
Mar 24, 2018·Zoomorphology·Jakub GoczałAdam Tofilski
Jul 7, 2018·Science Advances·Juliette J RubinJesse R Barber
Aug 25, 2018·Science Advances·Brian C LeavellJesse R Barber
Nov 17, 2016·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Andrew ReidMichael D Greenfield
Oct 31, 2020·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·Mourad Jaffar-BandjeeJérôme Casas
Jun 13, 2020·Current Biology : CB·Robert J P HeathcoteDarren P Croft
Aug 5, 2021·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Brett R AielloSimon Sponberg

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