Recognition of courtship song in the field cricket,Teleogryllus oceanicus

Publication Type:Journal Article
Year of Publication:1996
Authors:Balakrishnan, Pollack
Journal:Animal Behaviour
Volume:51
Issue:2
Pagination:353 - 366
Date Published:Jan-02-1996
ISSN:00033472
Abstract:

The courtship song of the cricket,Teleogryllus oceanicusplays an important role in inducing the female to mount the male, which is necessary for mating. The song consists of a short, amplitude-modulated chirp, followed by a long trill of constant intensity and high syllable rate. Using playback techniques, it was determined which physical parameters of courtship song are necessary and/or sufficient to evoke normal female mounting of muted, courting males. The higher harmonics of natural courtship song were neither necessary nor sufficient for the effectiveness of the song. The chirp component alone was sufficient to evoke normal levels of mounting, but the trill was only partially effective on its own. The conspicuous amplitude modulation of the chirp was not necessary to evoke normal responses. The results suggest that the high effectiveness of the chirp is due to its characteristic temporal pattern. As in other cricket species, the song repertoire ofT. oceanicusalso includes distinct calling and aggression songs, which contain chirps that are structurally similar to the courtship chirp. Both calling and aggression songs evoked normal mounting responses when played back in the context of courtship.

URL:http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0003347296900342
DOI:10.1006/anbe.1996.0034
Short Title:Animal Behaviour
BioAcoustica ID: 
Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith