Championica (Auchenacophora) walkeri Montealegre-Z. & Morris, 1999

(3 males recorded) Specimens were found an hour after midnight (22°C) in a pasture, calling form lichen and moss-covered lower limbs of an old lime tree. The song is readily audible. A few callers were just within reach overhead, others up to several metres above. One male was later recorded extensively in Canada with ultrasonic capable equipment at two different temperatures, 19°C and 27°C.

The following mean measures are of the lab recorded male at 27°C. He produced a succession of notes (calls) witha. period of 4.6s (range 3.5-5.5 s). Slowed by a factor of 8, each note is a musical warble, and consists of a train of prolonged pulses (Fig. 30A). The first few pulses are lower ina mplitude and shorter in duration, then increment to become each about 10ms in duration. The final pulse (Fig. 30B) is somewhat longer (average: 13.5 ms). Each note lasted 166 ms. Pulse period was 15.2 ms.

Some call component durations of this insect increased at the lower temperature (19°C): note to 216 ms; final pulse to 17.7 ms; penultiumate pulse to 13.1 ms (from 10.2 ms); pulse period to 20.2 ms.

This insect produces no ultrasonic sound. The very uniform single audio frequency waveform is is shown in Fig. 30C. The spectrum is one exceptionally high-Q, narrow peak at 14.6kHz (Fig. 30D). At the lower temperature this frequency and teh number of pules per call, changed very little: carrier frequency became 14.4kHz; mean pulses per note went from 10.7 to 11.3.

Two field recorded animals exhibited the following averages: call note period ~ 10s; note duration 290 ms, 12 pulses / note, final pulse in train 22 ms, penultimate pulse 17.6 ms, pulse period 25 ms. The average carrier for the two field males was 13.5 kHz. [1]

References