Incidental effects and evolution of sound-producing organs in tree crickets (Orthoptera : Oecanthidae)

Male tree cricket (Orthoptera : Oecanthidae) calling songs are used by females to locate conspecific mates. Changes in these songs are crucial to speciation. Since certain features of cricket sounds are correlated with the structures of the stridulatory organs, changes in stridulatory organs must be correlated with changes in songs. Surprisingly, there is no established hypothesis to explain the mechanism of morphological change associated with changes in songs. Some alternative possibilities are explored, with reference to incidental effects. Available evidence suggests that stridulatory organs are genetically stable and that changes in these organs occur in steps rather than gradually.