Recordings

Literature

Behaviour

(i) Pair Formation Like F. australis, this species performs crepitation flights, but bursts of crepita- tion are always short, lasting less than 0.5 sec. As in F. australis, flights were low to the ground and inconspicuous, at least to the human observer. (ii) Courtship Courtship behaviour is very similar to that of the North American species of Orphulella (which also produce crepitation flights). Approaches were typically as follows: a male approached a female stealthily, advancing only during the movement of the female. After moving the head and forequarters from side to side several times (presumably to gauge the distance), it jumped onto the female. Of six courtship sequences, four involved a male mounting another male. Two males jerked their femora repetitively (at c. 4 jerks per sec) as they mounted. Another male jerked his femora after failing to mount a female. Similar jerking movements are produced in North American Melanoplus spp. (subfamily Catantopinae) which also approach females stealthily. (iii) Agonistic Behaviour No stereotyped agonistic movements occurred. Males mounted by other males produced irregular jerking movements of the hind femora, kicked with the hind tibiae, and raised their femora. Unreceptive females reject males by kicking and fleeing.

Source: Otte, Daniel (1972). Communicative aspects of reproductive behaviour in Australian grasshoppers (Oedipodinae and Gomphocerinae). Australian Journal of Zoology, 20(2): 139.