Michaelshaffera gen. n. - a pyraloid taxon lacking an abdominal tympanal organ (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae)

Michaelshaffera gen. n. is comprised of two species, M. maidoa (Schaus), new combination, the type species, described from French Guiana, and a new species, M. beckeri, here described from South America. The assignment of taxa to the Pyraloidea is based primarily on characters of the tympanal organs and immature stages. Michaelshaffera lacks a tympanal organ and the immatures are unknown. The rationale for the placement of this genus in the Pyraloidea and lower hierarchical ranks is discussed based on other morphological characters.

The tympanal trachea as an integral part of the ear in acripeza reticulata guerin (orthoptera, tettigonioidea)

The functional role of the large trachea which runs from a spiracle in the thorax down the leg (tympanal trachea) was analysed in relation to the tympanal organ. The tympanal trachea not only tunes the tympanal organ to a certain frequency (Fig. 1) but is important for the directional sense of hearing in the whole animal. The directional sensitivity of the ear depends only on the relative positions of the spiracle of the tympanal trachea and the direction of sound (Fig. 2), irrespective of the foreleg walking position