Social behavior and communication in the neotropical cicada Fidicina mannifera (Fabricius) (Homoptera: Cicadidae)
Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society
1996
Journal Article
69
4
85-97
animals invertebrates arthropods insects cicadas Cicadidae Fidicina mannifera animal behavior vocal communication communication Homoptera Madre de Dios Bibliography
We investigated signalling behavior in relation to social context in the cicada Fidicina mannifera. Four types of acoustic signals were recorded from males: songs, calls, low-amplitude songs, and disturbance sounds. Signal types were similar in frequency and fine temporal structure, but differed markedly in gross temporal structure. Songs and calls were the most frequently observed signals, and these differed in the social context in which they were used. When inter-male distances were large, males produced songs, overlapping them with songs of neighboring males. As nearest-neighbor distance decreased, males switched to calls, which were typically alternated back and forth between males. Bouts of calls often were followed by a parallel walk display, which apparently was involved in settling disputes over calling sites.