Pycnostictus seriatus

(i) Pair Formation
Males perceive females visually and approach them by walking or flying. Approaching flights are low and without sound. This method of pair formation was observed on numerous occasions and at all localities, and resembles pair formation in many North American species of Oedipodinae which live on bare ground (e.g. Trachyrhachys, Mestobregma, Heliastus, and Derotmema spp.). \

(ii) Courtship
Males approaching females produce femur-tipping and ordinary stridulation. In 14 courtship approaches males both tipped and stridulated. In 15 other approaches males only tipped. In no instance was only stridulation given. Femur-tipping consists of a slow upstroke (c. 1.7 sec in duration) and a fast, jerk-like downstroke (c. 0.1 sec); the tibiae are extended to more than 90" from the femora during the highest portion of the movement and the femora are held about 30" from the main body axis while in the resting position. Ordinary stridulation is given in bursts, each burst produced with one femur. Males sometimes alternated between right and left femur in producing successive bursts. Courtship of Townsville and Cottesloe individuals was basically similar, both tipping and stridulation or just tipping being performed during approaches. A Cottesloe male produced three bursts of ordinary stridulation, each burst containing five pulses of stridulation delivered at approxi- mately 5 per sec. Males from Alice Springs did not perform stridulatory movements but were in other regards similar to Townsville individuals. A male from near Berry seven times approached a female giving only tipping movements. He did not mount, evidently because the female jerked her femora each time he touched her. Twice another male approached a female jerking his body from side to side (c. 3 times per sec) and without tipping his femora. The significance of these movements is not understood. No other differences in behaviour were detected.

(iii) Agonistic Behaviour
Males tip and shake when courted or touched by other males (seen about 10 times). Femur-tipping is similar to tipping given in courtship, and shaking may be silent.

Females rejected males by tipping and also by jerking their femora upwards from the horizontal position. [1]

References