Convergent Evolution of Wingbeat-Powered Anti-Bat Ultrasound in the Microlepidoptera

Bats and moths provide a textbook example of predator-prey evolutionary arms races, demonstrating adaptations, counter adaptations on both sides. The responses to the biosonar-led hunting strategies insectivorous bats include convergently evolved hearing structures tuned detect bat echolocation frequencies. These allow many manoeuvre safety, or in case some taxa, respond by emitting sounds which startle bats, jam their biosonar, and/or warn them distastefulness. Until now, research has focused larger macrolepidoptera, but recent discovery wingbeat-powered anti-bat genus deaf microlepidoptera ( Yponomeuta ), suggests that speciose understudied possess further more widespread defences. Here we demonstrate ultrasound production, likely providing an function, appears indeed be spread widely microlepidoptera; showing acoustically active (aeroelastic tymbals, ATs) have at least three, four different regions wing. Two these tymbals are found multiple microlepidopteran superfamilies, remarkably, three were single subfamily. We document characterise sound production from taxa previously considered silent. Our findings contribute own unwritten chapters bat-moth coevolutionary race.