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Electrophysiological characterisation of the infrared organ of the Australian “Little Ash Beetle” Acanthocnemus nigricans (Coleoptera, Acanthocnemidae)

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Abstract

This study characterises the response properties of the sensilla located on the prothoracic disc organ of the beetle Acanthocnemus nigricans, such as intensity response functions and temporal coding properties. Warming the sensilla by a red laser accelerated their ongoing spiking activity, cessation of the stimulus suppressed their firing as revealed by extracellular recordings. Convective heat sources also increased sensillum activity, but stimuli of other modalities failed to elicit responses. The response threshold was between 11 and 25 mW/cm2 and latencies ranged between 20 and 40 ms. Repeating stimuli with frequencies between 5 and 20 Hz were reliably resolved by the sensilla. This temporal resolution enables the disc sensilla to represent behaviourally relevant changes in heat stimuli in a thermally patchy environment. These findings complement our knowledge on the sensory physiology of pyrophilous insects by hinting at two different, elementary orientation strategies evolved in the three pyrophilous beetle species described. A. nigricans seems to be best adapted to short-range orientation on freshly burnt areas.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the help of Mike Cantelo and Brian Inglis from CALM in Wanneroo, WA, who enabled us to visit bush fires for the collection of beetles and supported us with the necessary equipment. The Department of Environment and Heritage (Canberra) and the Wildlife Branch of CALM (Perth) issued collection and export permits. We are indebted to Harald Tichy for his valuable comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript and to Horst Bleckmann for his continuous interest in our work and for providing lab space. We also thank Horst Bleckmann for his helpful comments on a former version of this manuscript. Two anonymous reviewers provided constructive and thoughtful comments on the manuscript. Supported by a grant of the DFG to H.S. The experiments comply with the Principles of animal care publication no. 85-23, revised 1985 of the National Institute of Health and also with the laws of Germany (Tierschutzgesetz).

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  1. Institut für Zoologie, Abteilung für Vergleichende Neurobiologie, Universität Bonn, Poppelsdorfer Schloß, 53115, Bonn, Germany

    Eva Kreiss, Helmut Schmitz & Michael Gebhardt

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  1. Eva Kreiss
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  2. Helmut Schmitz
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  3. Michael Gebhardt
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Correspondence to Michael Gebhardt.

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Kreiss, E., Schmitz, H. & Gebhardt, M. Electrophysiological characterisation of the infrared organ of the Australian “Little Ash Beetle” Acanthocnemus nigricans (Coleoptera, Acanthocnemidae). J Comp Physiol A 193, 729–739 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-007-0228-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00359-007-0228-8

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