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Science 13 November 1992:
Vol. 258. no. 5085, pp. 1135 - 1137
DOI: 10.1126/science.1439820
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Articles

Science, Vol 258, Issue 5085, 1135-1137
Copyright © 1992 by American Association for the Advancement of Science

articles

The evolutionary convergence of hearing in a parasitoid fly and its cricket host

D Robert, J Amoroso, and RR Hoy

Section of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.

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.


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