Stridulation and Its Analysis in Certain Geocorisae (Hemiptera Heteroptera)

Abstract

Summary. The stridulation of the bugs Coranus subapterous, Kleidocerys ericae, Kleidocerys resedae, Piesma quadrata and Sehirus bicolor was recorded on magnetic tape and analysed oscillographically. The sounds emitted by Coranus subapterus were elicited only by tactile stimulation, and were irregular in waveform and frequency, varying in and between individuals. It is suggested that stridulation in this insect is a defence reflex. In the remaining bugs the sounds were characterized by being of a pulse modulated type, and where one insect emitted more than one type of sound, these were distinguishable by differing pulse repetition frequencies. The structure of the various types of stridulation in the four insects is demonstrated by oscillograms. In the four species stridulation was spontaneous, although tactile stimuli could also elicit sound emission in the two species of Kleidocerys. In Piesma, and probably in both other genera, stridulation only occurred in sexually mature adults. In Piesma and Kleidocerys both sexes emitted the same song, while in Sehirus the males emitted three songs and the females probably a single song of their own. Behaviour associated with the stridulation is described and the hypothesis that the sounds are related to aggregation and sexual behaviour is discussed.

Sexual selection and predation drive the repeated evolution of stridulation in Heteroptera and other arthropods

“…Alexander, 1957 a ; Blair & Bilton, 2020; Bouwma & Herrnkind, 2009; Desutter‐Grandcolas, 1998; Esposito et al ., 2018; Hrušková‐Martišová et al ., 2008; Field, 1993; Kronmüller & Lewis, 2015; Low et al ., 2021; Lourenço & Cloudsley‐Thompson, 1995; Field et al ., 1987; Masters, 1980; Polidori et al ., 2013; Pomini et al ., 2010; Woodrow et al ., 2021) and vertebrates (Cresswell, 1998; Bostwick & Prum, 2005; Gans & Maderson, 1973; Gould, 1965). More rarely, stridulatory signals are used in other close‐range behaviours, such as rivalry, aggregation, and triggering synchronous egg‐hatching (Gogala et al ., 1974; Haskell, 1957; Jansson, 1972, 1989; Mukai et al ., 2014). The mechanical characteristics of stridulatory signals presumably explain why their vibrational component is used primarily for close‐range interactions, as their high frequency (2–20 kHz) (Čokl et al ., 2006; Sueur, Mackie & Windmill, 2011; Yasunaga et al ., 2019) is unsuitable for long‐distance substrate‐borne transmission in the main arthropod signalling substrates (soil, plants and water; Fig.…”

“…Stridulation is clearly an important signalling mechanism, as its repeated evolution across arthropods indicates strong selective pressures for its development. Stridulation is thought to be adaptive in defensive contexts by reducing predation risk in several ways, which are not mutually exclusive: ( i ) it can startle predators (Masters, 1979, 1980; Robinson, 1969); ( ii ) it can warn predators of undesirable qualities of the stridulating animal if an attack is realised, such as distasteful chemical secretions or painful stings (Ewing, 1984; Haskell, 1957; Masters, 1979; Kowalski et al ., 2014); ( iii ) it can be part of a deimatic display (Kowalski et al ., 2014; Low et al ., 2021; Umbers, Lehtonen & Mappes, 2015); (4) it can imitate the sounds of a dangerous or toxic animal (Masters, 1979; Sandow & Bailey, 1978); or (5) it can produce vibrations that cause physical discomfort when stridulating prey is in the mouth of a predator, due to overstimulation of tactile receptors (Masters, 1979, 1980; Senter, 2008; Song et al ., 2020); similar effects have been proposed for the presumably defensive buzzing of solitary bees (Larsen, Gleffe & Tengö, 1986). However, few of these hypotheses have been conclusively supported for the evolution of stridulation in arthropods (Alexander, 1957 a ; Masters, 1979, 1980; Rowe & Guilford, 1999; Sandow & Bailey, 1978; Stidham, 2020), due to the paucity of empirical studies.…”

“…Stridulatory signals exhibit remarkable diversity, as many contain multiple frequencies with complex harmonics (Akay, 2002), while others produce pure tones with low‐energy harmonics (Montealegre‐Z et al ., 2011; Montealegre‐Z, 2009). The advantage of this mechanically uncomplicated motion is that it enables the production of song frequencies that would be impossible to achieve through cyclical muscle action alone (Haskell, 1957; Masters, 1980; Bennet‐Clark, 1998; Čokl et al ., 2006).…”

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“…(Ischnorhynchinae) will stridulate audibly when disturbed. The sound is made by rubbing a striate vein at the base of the hind wing against a roughened area on the metathoracic dorsum (Haskell 1957). Possibly the wings act to amplify the sound that this rather fine structure makes.…”