Moth-specialist Dr. Akito Kawahara told Sabans that it was quite possible that the island could have a second endemic species — a moth — given its unique volcanic isolation from adjoining land masses. Saba already has one endemic species a—small, colorful anole, Anolis sabanus. Discovering a second endemic would be quite exciting!
Kawahara was on Saba for the first time as guest lecturer for October’s 13th annual island-wide “Sea and Learn” Nature Program. The program is organized by local dive shop “Sea Saba” with the cooperation local schools and businesses.
The Japanese-American, University of Florida Assistant Professor said that a thorough moth inventory of the five-square island has yet to be published. He is very interested in returning with some of his Florida University graduate students to conduct a base survey of the island’s moth population and — possibly — add to the literature a new species found nowhere but on Saba.
Sea and Learn in Saba Schools
During his lectures at Saba Schools, Kawahara fascinated his audience with his casual, hands-on approach. How to encourage kids to study science? “It starts at home,” Kawahara told students and parents. He counts his father as the major influence in his scholarship and chosen profession. He shared with his audience his close relationship with his father, an internationally known Japanese conceptual artist who worked in New York City.
Kawahara's parents traveled every six months back to Japan, where he and his brother attended Japanese schools and are bilingual as a result. In Japan, “scientific” equipment for children, such as simple butterfly nets, is commonly available in most grocery stores. As a result, school children with nets are regularly seen running around public parks to take home specimens for their collections. Kawahara's father encouraged his children by sharing the hobby of creating such a specimen collection. “My dad’s interest and companionship were key in turning me on to science,” Kawahara added.
As a result of this firm parental foundation, Kawahara’s academic career and growing international reputation have been stellar. He is now at the University of Florida as assistant professor and Curator of the Florida Natural History Museum and McGuire Center for Lepidoptera and Biodiversity on the Gainesville campus. He is already widely published in international scientific journals and has held leadership positions in international studies.
Kawahara chose moths over butterflies as a course of study because “I wanted to make a difference.” There are ten times more moths than butterflies and still there is a knowledge gap. Kawahara is doing his best make his difference by closing this gap. He is especially interested in understanding how transitions in behavior have shaped invertebrate diversity on continents, but also on islands. Saba could serve as a good model for this.
He shared some of the most recent findings with Sea and Learn participants and their possible application in quite different areas.
Can moth behavior help other technologies?
Here in the tropics, the critters have a bad rep for attacking clothes closets. They are amazingly omnivorous. In their caterpillar stage various moth-types munch through wool, fur, hair, linen, silk, cotton, leather, lint, dust, paper, and even certain synthetic fibers.
However, with almost 175,000 species, the good news is moths are essential pollinators for the production of many food crops. Does moth behavior hold scientific secrets that might have further application?
For example, moths with long tails may teach us more about defense mechanisms. According to a new study using high-speed cameras to film the action, scientists discovered that long-tailed Lunar moths “twirl” their tails to confuse bats (a major moth predator) into attacking these less critical body parts. This defense mechanism vastly improves the moth’s chances of escape and longevity.
Taking a lesson from nature
Even more astounding is a study earlier this year on which Kawahara worked as lead author of an international team which visited 70 field collection spots in 32 countries from Borneo to the Amazon. The investigation was into certain moth species which produce ultrasonic emissions that confuse echo-locating bats.
How does this work? Bats have developed high-pitched, ultrasonic noises which they send out to find food. The echoes bounce back to the bats giving them the location of the moth. However, the majority of moths have the ability to detect the bat’s signal. With this advance warning, moths use midair aerobatics to dodge the incoming bat.
This technique has been further refined by specific months - Tiger moths and Hawk moths. They return a signal to confuse the bat and increase their survival chances. Both types of moths use the same process and it seems both males and females have this ability. The bat is understandably confused and the moths escape. They create the “sonar jam” by using their sex organs!
Hot stuff, but it has developed over a 60 million-year evolutionary “arms race.” Moths jam the bat’s transmission with a sound of their own, produced by rubbing their genitals together. Researchers found that almost half of the 124 species of Hawk moths studied used genitalia-generated ultrasonic sounds to foil the bats’ attempts to locate them.
Scientists dubbed the process “one of the insect world’s most sophisticated defense mechanisms.” The authors of the study, which appeared on line in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, hope to improve their understanding of nocturnal biodiversity and — just possibly — improve human uses of sonar.
By Suzanne Nielsen
