An international research team set out to test whether diurnal moths—less threatened by echolocating bats—would have reduced tympanal organs. These specialized hearing organs allow moths to detect the high frequency calls bats use to locate prey at night. The researchers compared day-flying moths to their closely related, night-flying counterparts, expecting reduction or loss of these hearing organs in the diurnal species. Surprisingly, the opposite was true.
Daytime moths reveal larger hearing organs, challenging evolutionary assumptions
