HRISTOV, N.I.*; CONNER, W.E.; Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, North Carolina: Predator-Prey Interactions: A 3D-Analysis of the Bat-Moth Arms Race

The acoustic interaction between insectivorous bats and tiger moths (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae), has puzzled behavioral biologists for over three decades. When approached by hunting bats, tiger moths answer with a series of intense ultrasonic clicks that stimulate the bat to abort its attack. Although it is generally agreed that the generation of ultrasonic clicks is a defensive strategy employed by arctiid moths against bats, there is disagreement about the mechanism through which the clicks exert their effect. Three hypotheses have been proposed to account for this behavior: (1) the clicks startle the bats; (2) they jam the sophisticated sonar of bats, or (3) they serve as an acoustic warning to the bats that the moths are not palatable food items. This work addresses the bat-moth acoustic interaction from a new perspective by analyzing the learning behavior of na�ve bats when interacting with tiger moths. In a series of experiments big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) were pitted against different groups of tiger moths according to the lack or presence of a chemical defense (C-) or (C+) and ability or inability to produce sound (S+) or (S-). The independent combination of these characters in the same moth, results in four experimental categories: an unpalatable, sound producing moths (C+S+), an unpalatable, non-sound producing moth (C+S-), a palatable, sound producing moths (C-S+) and a palatable, non-sound producing tiger moth (C-S-). The bat-moth interaction was recorded over time using 3D, infra-red, high-speed videography. The detailed kinematic and acoustic information will be analyzed to shed light on the three hypotheses concerning bat-tiger moth interactions and offer insight into the fascinating bat-moth arms race.