Beware of bats, beware of birds: the auditory responses of eared moths to bat and bird predation

Abstract

The allotonic frequency hypothesis (AFH) proposes that the preponderance of moths in the diets of some bats (e.g., Rhinolophidae) is the result of these bats echolocating at allotonic frequencies, that is, outside of the typical hearing range of most moths (ca., 20–60 kHz). The broader hearing range of African moths (5–110 kHz) suggests that their ears may function at frequencies usually considered allotonic. We investigated 1) whether moth ears were functionally audible to the Cape horseshoe bat, Rhinolophus capensis (Rhinolophidae), which forages in dense vegetation and echolocates at 84 kHz, and 2) whether moth auditory sensitivity below 10 kHz allows them to detect the rustling noises made by bird predators as they pursued moths through vegetation. The calls of R. capensis were audible to moths albeit over shorter distances relative to syntonic bats. Shorter detection distances combined with the constrained spaces in the cluttered habitat in which rhinolophids forage give moths both less time and less space within which to react to an attacking bat. Thus, the AFH in combination with habitat offers a better explanation for the preponderance of moths in the diets of rhinolophids than either of them on their own. Moths also responded both neurologically and behaviorally to the rustling sounds made by birds (Cape Bulbul, Pycnonotus capensis) as they pursued moths. We suggest that the high sensitivity of moths to frequencies from 5 to 10 kHz allows them to avoid these avian attacks by using responses that have traditionally been considered solely anti-bat behavior. Key words: allotonic frequency hypothesis, audition, bats, birds, moths, predation. [Behav Ecol]