Abstract
Males of the desert clicker, Ligurotettix coquilletti (Acrididae: Orthoptera) defend a femalerequired resource, the creosote bush Larrea tridentata, in desert habitats of the southwestern United States. Males signal acoustically to each other as well as to searching females. The call is produced by tegminal/femoral stridulation where one or both legs are used for sound production. Sound pressure levels, measured laterally, are influenced by the intervening tegmen between the stridulating leg and the microphone. Differences in measured sound pressure levels between sides can vary up to 7 dB. When clicks are produced multiply,these multiple clicks may be 4 dB louder than single clicks. We examine the structure of the call and the effective broadcast area of single males by monitoring acoustic ascending neurons of the ventral nerve cord in the neck. By taking the neurophysiological preparation into the field, we were able to map the broadcast area of isolated males and also of males calling within aggregations. The distance over which the signal of isolated males could be detected was 8–14 m, whereas neural representation of the calls of males within aggregation were detectable within 4–6 m. The sound spectrum of the song, although having a major lower-frequency component around 10 kHz, has extensive power in the ultrasonic range. The tuning characteristics of the ascending auditory neuron matched the overall structure of the male call. The importance of the acoustic cue, as compared to visual cues, is discussed in relation to female attraction.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Arak, A. (1988). Female mate selection in the natterjack toad: Active choice or passive attraction?Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 22: 317–327.
Bailey, W. J., and Yeoh, P. B. (1988). Female phonotaxis and frequency discrimination in the bushcricketRequena verticalis.Physiol. Entomol. 13: 363–372.
Bailey, W. J., Cunningham, R. J., and Lebel, L. (1990). Song power, spectral distribution and female phonotaxis in the bushcricketRequena verticalis (Tettigoniidae: Orthoptera): Active female choice or passive attraction.Anim. Behav. 40: 33–42.
Brenowitz, E. A., Wilczynski, W., and Zakon, H. H. (1984). Acoustic communication by spring peepers. Environmental and behavioral aspects.J. Comp. Physiol. 155: 585–592.
Brown, J. L. (1975).The Evolution of Behavior, Norton, New York.
Butlin, R. K. (1989). Reinforcement of premating isolation. In Otte, D., and Endler, J. A. (eds.),Speciation and Its Consequences, Sinauer Press, Sunderland, Mass., pp. 158–179.
Butlin, R. K., Hewitt, G. M., and Webb, S. F. (1985). Sexual selection for intermediate optimum inChorthippus brunneus (Orthoptera: Acrididae).Anim. Behav. 33: 1281–1292.
Boyan, G. S. (1984). Neural mechanisms of auditory information processing by identified interneurons in Orthoptera.J. Insect Physiol. 30: 27–41.
Gerhardt, H. C. (1991). Female mate choice in treefrogs: Static and dynamic acoustic criteria.Anim. Behav. 42: 615–635.
Gerhardt, H. C., Diekamp, B., and Ptacek, M. (1989). Inter-male spacing in choruses of the spring peeper,Pseudacris (Hyla) crucifer.Anim. Behav. 38: 1012–1024.
Greenfield, M. D., and Shelly, T. E. (1985). Alternative mating strategies in a desert grasshopper: Evidence for density dependence.Anim. Behav. 33: 1192–1210.
Greenfield, M. D., Shelly, T. E., and Downum, K. R. (1987). Variation in host plant quality: Implications for territoriality in a desert grasshopper.Ecology 68: 828–838
Hedrick, A. V. (1986). Female preferences for calling bout duration in a field cricket.Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 19: 73–77.
Helversen, D. von (1984). Parallel processing in auditory pattern recognition and directional analysis by the grasshopperChorthippus biguttulus L. (Acrididae).J. Comp. Physiol. 154: 837–846.
Helversen, O. von, and Helversen, D. (1983). Species recognition and acoustic localisation in acridid grasshoppers: A behavioural approach. In Huber, F., and Markl, H. (eds.),Neuroethology and Behavioural Physiology, Springer Verlag, Berlin, pp. 95–107.
Latimer, W., and Sippel, M. (1987). Acoustic cues for female choice and male competition inTettigonia cantons. Anim. Behav.35: 887–910.
Otte, D. (1977). Communication in Orthoptera. In Sebeok, T. (ed.),How Animals Communicate, Indiana University Press, Bloomington, pp. 334–361.
Otte, D., and Joern, A. (1975). Insect territoriality and its evolution: Population studies of desert grasshoppers on creosote bushes.J. Anim. Ecol. 44: 29–54.
Parker, G. A. (1983). Mate quality and mating decisions. In Bateson, P. (ed.),Mate Choice, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp. 141–164.
Pollack, G. S. (1988). Selective attention in an insect auditory neuron.J. Neurosci. 8: 2635–2639.
Riede, K. (1987). A comparative study of mating behaviour in some Neotropical grasshoppers (Acridoidea).Ethology 76: 265–296.
Rheinlaender, J., and Römer, H. (1986). Insect hearing in the field. I. The use of identified nerve cells as “biological microphones.”J. Comp. Physiol. 158: 647–651.
Römer, H., and Bailey, W. J. (1986). Insect hearing in the field. II. Male spacing behavior and correlated acoustic cues in the bushcricketMygalopsis marki.J. Comp. Physiol. 159: 627–638.
Römer, H., and Bailey, W. J. (1990). Insect hearing in the field.Comp. Biochem. Physiol. 97: 443–447.
Römer, H., Bailey, W., and Dadour, I. (1989). Insect hearing in the field. III. Masking by noise.J. Comp. Physiol. 164: 609–620.
Römer, H., Rheinlaender, J., and Dronse, R. (1981). Intracellular studies on auditory processing in the metathoracic ganglion of the locust.J. Comp. Physiol. 144: 305–312.
Ronacher, B., Helversen, D. von, and Helversen, O. von (1986). Routes and stations in the processing of auditory directional information in the CNS of a grasshopper, as revealed by surgical experiments.J. Comp. Physiol. 158: 363–374.
Searcy, W. A., and Anderssen, M. (1986). Sexual selection and the evolution of song.Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 17: 507–533.
Skovmand, P., and Pederson, S. B. (1978). Tooth impact rate in the song of shorthorned grasshoppers: A factor carrying specific behavioural information.J. Comp. Physiol. A 124: 27–36.
Shelly, T. E., and Greenfield, M. D. (1991). Dominions and desert clickers (Orthoptera: Acrididae): Influences of resources and male signaling on female settlement patterns.Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 28: 133–140.
Shelly, T. E., Greenfield, M. D., and Downum, K. R. (1987). Variation in host plant quality: Influences on the mating tactics in male grasshoppers.Behaviour 109: 1200–1209.
Wang, G.-y., and Greenfield, M. D. (1991). Effects of territory ownership on dominance in the desert clicker (Orthoptera: Acrididae).Anim. Behav. 42: 579–587.
Wiley, R. H., and Richards, D. G. (1982). Adaptations for acoustic communication in birds: Sound transmission and signal detection. In Kroodsma, D. E., Miller, E. H., and Ouellet, H. (eds.),Acoustic Communication in Birds, Vol. 1, Academic Press, New York, pp. 131–181.
Zabriskie, J. G. (1979).Plants of Deep Canyon and the Central Coachella Valley, California, University of California Press, Riverside.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Bailey, W.J., Greenfield, M.D. & Shelly, T.E. Transmission and perception of acoustic signals in the desert clicker,Ligurotettix coquilletti (Orthoptera: Acrididae). J Insect Behav 6, 141–154 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01051500
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01051500