Chortoicetes terminifera (Walker, 1870)

(i) Pair formation
As in H. obscurella, solitary males performed ticking movements with the hind legs (Fig. 2, first sound). A series of ticks was produced with one leg, but occasionally the legs alternated briefly in producing successive ticks. The following are some typical songs of regularly delivered series of ticks, delivered at 8 per 10 sec at 90°F.

Male 1: 111111111, 11111111.

Male 2: Illr, rlll, Illllrrrrrrlr, rrrrr, rrrrllrlrlrlll.

Male 3 : 111111111111, 11111111, 11111.

(ii) Courtship
Two signals were performed by males approaching or responding to the presence of females: (1) Femur-tipping consisted of raising both femora simultaneously to about the verticalposition; up-anddownstrokeswereaboutthesameinduration,but occasionally the downstroke was considerably faster. Tibiae were extended to more than 90" at the height of the movement. The tipping rate varied between 1.0and 1.2per sec. (2) Femur-shaking with wing-rubbing (or buzzing) consisted of shaking or vibrating the femora rapidly against the forewings (Fig. 2, second sound). Four of seven courtship displays were directed to females; one to six tips, then one to four buzzes preceded attempts to mount.

(iii) AgonisticBehaviour The same signals used in courtship were employed in agonistic contexts. However, buzzing (Fig. 2, second sound) appears to be the main agonistic signal employed by males, and was the only signal produced by males on four different occasions when touched by a courting male. On 15 other occasions males buzzed ' in immediate response to the ticking sounds of solitary males nearby.[1]

References