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Abstract
Southeast Asian synchronic fireflies respond to stimulus flashes by phase-shifting
their endogenous oscillator. This is called 'flash entrainment'. The releasers for
entrainment were studied by changing stimulus flash shape and duration in Pteroptyx
malaccae. Stimulus flash shapes and durations were synthesized digitally and delivered
by a field-portable computer system. The computer also recorded male firefly flashes
that were detected with a photometer. We found that the type of entrainment and its
magnitude was influenced by the duration of the entrainment flash and by its shape.