# Left-right tympanal size asymmetry in the parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea

## TL;DR

This study explores whether small differences in the size of hearing organs in a parasitoid fly could improve its hearing abilities.

## Contribution

The study reveals that left-right asymmetry in tympanal organs may enhance sound localization in a small parasitoid fly.

## Key findings

- Left and right tympanal membranes in Ormia ochracea show up to 6.88% surface area asymmetry.
- Numerical experiments suggest increased sound localization performance with greater tympanal asymmetry.

## Abstract

Ormia ochracea
is a parasitoid fly notable for its impressive hearing abilities relative to its small size. Here, we use it as a model organism to investigate if minor size differences in paired sensory organs may be beneficial or neutral to an organism's perception abilities. We took high-resolution images of tympanal organs from 21
O. ochracea
specimens and found a statistically significant surface area asymmetry (up to 6.88%) between the left and right membranes. Numerical experiments indicated that peak values of key sound localization variables increased with increasing tympanal asymmetry, which may explain features of the limited available physiological data.