Escape behavior in response to mechanical stimulation of hindwing in cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus

We studied behavioral responses of the cricket, Gryllus bimaculatus, to mechanical stimulation of the hindwing tip using three different kinds of stimuli: touching, bending and pinching. The most characteristic was a sequence of initial jump-like movements and subsequent running steps, that is referred to as escape behavior in this study. Touching stimulus elicited the escape behavior in 52% of resting animals tethered on a treadmill, whereas bending elicited the same behavior in 94% or 98% depending on the bend direction. Pinching was effective in all tested animals. The effectiveness of pinching stimulus in eliciting the escape behavior depends on the ongoing activity in the animal. Video and electromyographic recordings have revealed that, in the initial jump-like movements, forelegs and hindlegs move simultaneously on both sides while midlegs remain on the ground, followed by simultaneous movements of bilateral midlegs. The subsequent stepping was characterized by out-of-phase rhythmical activities of the leg muscles. Touching stimulus evoked tonic afferent responses of small amplitude in the second nerve root of the metathoracic ganglion. Bending stimulus evoked tonic responses of large units that showed rapid habituation and medium units that persisted during repeated stimulation. Pinching stimulus elicited only phasic responses of large and medium amplitude in the R2 afferents. The results suggest that touching, bending and pinching stimuli are transmitted to the metathoracic ganglion via different sensory systems having different effectiveness in activating the escape motor system.