Phonotaxis, temperature coupling, and speciation in the mole cricket, Gryllotalpa australis Erichson (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae)
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1990
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University of Melbourne
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Science Collected Works
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Masters Research thesis
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Department of Zoology
Thesis (MSc) -- University of Melbourne, Faculty of Science, 1991
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-117)
Department of Zoology
Thesis (MSc) -- University of Melbourne, Faculty of Science, 1991
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-117)
Abstract
In many insect species, males produce acoustic signals for the purpose of attracting reproductively receptive, conspecific females. The female responds to the singing male by flying or walking to him, or by using a combination of both. The phonotactic response of the female has been studied, mainly in gryllid crickets, at both the walking and flight stages (e.g. Walker, 1957; Zaretsky, 1972; Hoy and Paul, 1973; Hill, 1974; Morris, Kerr and Gwynne, 1975; Popov and Shuvalov, 1977; Moiseff, Pollack and Hoy, 1978; Pollack and Hoy, 1979, 1981; Thorson, Weber and Huber, 1982; Stout, DeHaan and McGhee, 1983; Doherty, 1985a,b,c; Doolan and Pollack, 1985; Nolen and Hoy, 1986). These studies have shown that both the frequency of the song and it's temporal parameters are important in eliciting a correct phonotactic response from females.
The animal under investigation in this study is the mole cricket Gryllotalpa australis Erichson. Mole crickets live in specially constructed burrows, with the male excavating a special chamber close to the surface (Bennet- Clark, 1970, 1987; Nickerson, Snyder and Oliver, 1979; Kavanagh and Young, 1989). This singing burrow acts an acoustic horn which enhances and amplifies the song. The calling song is produced by rubbing together the modified forewings, or elytra, and can be heard on suitably warm evenings after sunset. The calling song of G. australis consists of an unbroken trill of pulses (ie, a continuous train), produced non-stop for about 30 minutes, of a constant carrier frequency close to 2.5 kHz and a pulse rate which ranges from 50 to 85 pulses per second (Kavanagh, 1982), (Fig.1.5). Pulse length and interval are quite variable. Phonotaxis in mole crickets has been studied previously by Nevo and Blondheim (1972), Ulagaraj and Walker (1973, 1975), Ulagaraj (1976), Forrest (1980, 1983a,b), Beugnon (1981), Kavanagh (1982), Matheny, Kepner and Portier (1983), and Thomas (1986). These studies have shown both frequency and pulse rate to be important components of the calling song in eliciting phonotactic behaviour from female mole crickets just as they are in field crickets.
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Mole crickets -- Behavior -- Climatic factors, Mole crickets -- Speciation, Orthoptera -- Australia -- Victoria.