Search for: All records

Stridulation is used by male katydids to produce soundviathe rubbing together of their specialised forewings, either by sustained or interrupted sweeps of the file producing different tones and call structures. There are many species of Orthoptera that remain undescribed and their acoustic signals are unknown. This study aims to measure and quantify the mechanics of wing vibration, sound production and acoustic properties of the hearing system in a new genus of Pseudophyllinae with taxonomic descriptions of two new species. The calling behaviour and wing mechanics of males were measured using micro-scanning laser Doppler vibrometry, microscopy, and ultrasound sensitive equipment. The resonant properties of the acoustic pinnae of the ears were obtainedviaμ-CT scanning and 3D printed experimentation, and numerical modelling was used to validate the results. Analysis of sound recordings and wing vibrations revealed that the stridulatory areas of the right tegmen exhibit relatively narrow frequency responses and produce narrowband calls between 12 and 20 kHz. As in most Pseudophyllinae, only the right mirror is activated for sound production. The acoustic pinnae of all species were found to provide a broadband increased acoustic gain from ~40–120 kHz by up to 25 dB, peaking at almost 90 kHz which coincides with the echolocation frequency of sympatric bats. The new genus, namedSatizabalusn. gen., is here derived as a new polytypic genus from the existing genusGnathoclita, based on morphological and acoustic evidence from one described (S. sodalisn. comb.) and two new species (S. jorgevargasin. sp. andS. haucan. sp.). Unlike most Tettigoniidae,Satizabalusexhibits a particular form of sexual dimorphism whereby the heads and mandibles of the males are greatly enlarged compared to the females. We suggest thatSatizabalusis related to the genusTrichotettix, also found in cloud forests in Colombia, and not toGnathoclita.