Neuroanatomy of the complex tibial organ of Stenopelmatus (Orthoptera: Ensifera: Stenopelmatidae)

The Journal of Comparative Neurology
Johannes Strauß, Reinhard Lakes-Harlan

Abstract

Stenopelmatidae (or "Jerusalem crickets") belong to the atympanate Ensifera, lacking hearing organs in the foreleg tibiae. Their phylogenetic position is controversial, either as a taxon in Tettigonioidea or within the clade of Gryllacridoidea. Similarly, the origin of tibial auditory systems in Ensifera is controversial. Therefore, we investigated the neuronal structures of the proximal tibiae of Stenopelmatus spec. with the hypothesis that internal sensory structures are similar to those in tympanate Ensifera. In Stenopelmatus the complex tibial organ consists of three neuronal parts: the subgenual organ, the intermediate organ, and a third part with linearly arranged neurons. This tripartite organization is also found in tympanate Ensifera, verifying our hypothesis. The third part of the sense organ found in Stenopelmatus can be regarded by the criterion of position as homologous to auditory receptors of hearing Tettigonioidea. This crista acustica homolog is found serially in all thoracic leg pairs and contains 20 +/- 2 chordotonal neurons in the foreleg. The tibial organ was shown to be responsive to vibration, with a broad threshold of about 0.06 ms(-2) in a frequency range from 100-600 Hz. The central projection of tibia...Continue Reading

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Citations

Oct 9, 2008·Die Naturwissenschaften·Johannes Strauss, Reinhard Lakes-Harlan
Sep 10, 2010·Journal of Comparative Physiology. A, Neuroethology, Sensory, Neural, and Behavioral Physiology·Manuela NowotnyManfred Kössl
Dec 22, 2016·Arthropod Structure & Development·Johannes Strauß

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