The function of sound in male spacing behaviour in bush-crickets (Tettigoniidae, Orthoptera)

This paper examines the spatial dynamics of an aggregation of singing male bush‐crickets (Tettigoniidae) in respect to the degree of regularity between males. Our results establish that singing males of the genus Mygalopsis are regularly spaced within aggregations and that sound is involved in spacing. Attention is focussed on the male strategy of regular spacing within a widely dispersed aggregation in order to attract females reaching sexual maturity within the confines of that population. This is seen as an alternate to male aggregations attracting females from outside their boundary.