Planthopper bugs use a fast, cyclic elastic recoil mechanism for effective vibrational communication at small body size.

ABSTRACT: Vibrations through substrates are an important source of information for diverse organisms, from nematodes to elephants. The fundamental challenge for small animals using vibrational communication is to move their limited mass fast enough to provide sufficient kinetic energy for effective information transfer through the substrate whilst optimising energy efficiency over repeated cycles. Here, we describe a vibratory organ found across a commercially important group of plant-feeding insects, the planthoppers (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha). This elastic recoil snapping organ generates substrate-borne broadband vibrations using fast, cyclical abdominal motion that transfers kinetic energy to the substrate through the legs. Elastic potential energy is stored and released twice using two different

SUBMITTER: Davranoglou LR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6413918 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature