Flashing males win mate success

Branham, Marc; Greenfield, Michael D.

doi:10.1038/381745b0

Cited by 94 publications

(64 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…These photophores are divided into two types: extrinsic photophores, which shelter symbiotic luminous bacteria, and intrinsic photophores, which are self-luminescent, containing an endogenous luminescent system (Herring, 1982). To bring an adaptive advantage to their owner, photophores should be precisely controlled as the efficiency of luminescent behaviours depends on the timing and the physical characteristics of luminescence (Warner et al, 1979;Denton et al, 1985;Branham and Greenfield, 1996;Harper and Case, 1999;Demary et al, 2006;Rivers and Morin, 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional physiology of lantern shark (Etmopterus spinax) luminescent pattern: differential hormonal regulation of luminous zones

Claes

Mallefet

2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SUMMARYLantern sharks are small deep-sea sharks that harbour complex species-specific luminescent photophore patterns. The luminescent pattern of one of these sharks, Etmopterus spinax, is made up of nine luminous zones. Previous experiments revealed that in the largest of these zones (ventral zone), photophores are under hormonal control, light being triggered by both melatonin (MT) and prolactin (PRL). In this study, we analysed the luminescent responses to MT and PRL in five other luminous zones from 12 female and eight male E. spinax specimens. The results showed that all luminous zones respond to both hormones, with each zone having its own kinetic parameters (maximum light intensity, L max ; total light emitted, L tot ; time from stimulation to L max , TL max ), which confirms the multifunctional character of this shark's luminescence. L tot and L max were found to be directly dependent on the photophore density (P D ) of the luminous zone, while TL max varied independently from P D . In addition, we demonstrate a sexual dimorphism in the luminescent response to PRL, with male specimens having smaller L tot and TL max in the luminous zones from the pelvic region. As this region also harbours the sexual organs of this species, this strongly suggests a role for the luminescence from these zones in reproduction.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Functional physiology of lantern shark (Etmopterus spinax) luminescent pattern: differential hormonal regulation of luminous zones

Claes

Mallefet

2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…1 Male flash patterns are thought to be affected by sexual selection and females have been shown to prefer certain light signal characteristics. 2 In addition to these behaviors, it is generally assumed that most non-luminous fireflies locate mates through the use of pheromones.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Chemical Analysis of Surface Hydrocarbons in Fireflies by Direct Contact Extraction and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry

et al. 2004

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The behavioral functions of larval firefly lights have been studied, and several theories have been proposed. 1 Male flash patterns are thought to be affected by sexual selection and females have been shown to prefer certain light signal characteristics. 2 In addition to these behaviors, it is generally assumed that most non-luminous fireflies locate mates through the use of pheromones. The courtship patterns of Japanese fireflies seem to indicate numerous types of communication, which include pheromones as well as light signals. 3 Our analytical study of fireflies was based on the hypothesis that a certain chemical signal mediates a particular interaction between male and female fireflies. This hypothesis can be tested by collecting, analyzing and identifying these compounds. Using our previously reported method, pheromones were adsorbed by direct contact with glass surfaces. 4 We call this method direct contact extraction. Because this technique is nondestructive, it is possible to subject extracted hydrocarbons to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) directly using a solvent. Here, we report on the GC-MS profiles of extracts from three Japanese firefly species (Luciola lateralis, Luciola cruciata, and Lucidina biplagiata) and three North American firefly species (Lucidota atra, Photuris lucicrescens, and Photuris cinctipennis). Several research aspects concerning present analytical methods are discussed: (1) distinguish firefly species using the GC-MS profile as finger prints, (2) the intraspecific differences of fireflies, which could be interpreted as a geographic variation, and (3) chemical-ecological strategy of luminous and non-luminous fireflies. ExperimentalLuciola lateralis were collected in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture and Chino, Nagano prefecture. Luciola cruciata were collected in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture. Lucidina biplagiata were collected in Hayama, Kanagawa prefecture. Lucidota atra, Photuris lucicrescens, and Photuris cinctipennis were collected in Meramec state park Missouri, USA.Glass vials (50 ml) were washed in hexane and dried at 200˚C in an electric oven. Three fireflies were collected; if this was not possible, one or two fireflies were collected and placed into one clean glass vial at the field site. Fireflies were free to crawl inside the glass vials for 2 -3 h during the mating period. After the fireflies were released, 1 ml of dichloromethane was added to the glass vials, which were then shaken several times to collect any remaining compounds from the firefly without further condensation.Extracts (1 µl) were analyzed using a mass spectrometer (MS) (JMS-SX102A; JEOL, Tokyo, Japan) equipped with a gas chromatograph (GC) (HP 5890A; Hewlett Packard, Palt Alto, USA). An HP-5 capillary column (30 m length, 0.32 mm i.d., 0.25 mm film thickness; Hewlett Packard, Palt Alto, USA) was used to separate the products into the volatile components. The initial temperature was 50˚C, the final temperature was 280˚C and a linear temperature program of 20˚C/min was applied. The injector te...

show abstract

“…Previous studies have shown that the major functions of adult luminescence in fireflies are sexual communication and aposematic display (Branham and Greenfield, 1996;Branham and Wenzel, 2003;Ohba, 2004a;Lewis and Cratsley, 2008;Lewis, 2009). The adult fireflies of luminous species have comparatively large eyes.…”

Section: Fireflies (Lampyridae)mentioning

confidence: 99%