Katydids: The Pioneers of Animal Acoustic Communication

Reconstruction of a katydid in its ecological environment (楊定華繪製提供)

Sound transmission is one of the most widely used forms of communication among animals today. For many species, the ability to send and receive signals through sound is essential for survival. Animals that rely on acoustic communication occur broadly among both insects and vertebrates. Their signals serve a wide range of functions, including attracting mates, issuing warnings, and sharing the location of resources. Because these purposes vary so greatly, acoustic communication has evolved into an extraordinarily diverse and complex system. Understanding how animal acoustics evolved therefore provides key insight into the origin of modern biological soundscapes.

Yet reconstructing the history of animal acoustics is difficult. Organs rarely fossilize, and structures involved in sound production and hearing are particularly unlikely to be preserved. As a result, fossils that record the anatomical foundations of acoustic communication are extremely rare, leaving large gaps in our understanding of how these systems originated and diversified.

Katydids are a group of insects known for their remarkable diversity of calls. They generate sound by rubbing their forewings together, and they detect sound using specialized auditory organs located on their forelegs. Because katydids possess a relatively rich fossil record extending into the Mesozoic, they provide an unusually valuable window into the early evolution of acoustic communication.

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