Tiger moths include species that produce ultrasonic clicks to interfere with hunting bats.
Many tiger moths belong to the subfamily Arctiinae. Some species have specialized sound-producing organs, called tymbal organs, that make ultrasonic clicks when the moths are attacked or threatened by bats. The clicks can warn bats that the moth is distasteful or toxic, and in some species they may disrupt the bat’s ability to locate its prey.
This is an example of acoustic aposematism: an animal advertises its chemical defenses through sound rather than through a visible warning pattern. Some tiger moths obtain defensive chemicals from their larval food plants, while others synthesize or store compounds themselves.
Not every tiger moth clicks, and ultrasonic communication is also found in other moth groups. The important distinction is that certain Arctiinae have evolved especially well-known sound defenses against echolocating predators. Their clicks are outside the normal hearing range of humans.