Sound production in the genusAcinipeRambur, 1832 (Orthoptera: Pamphagidae)

Abstract

The family Pamphagidae, within Orthoptera, is very diverse with regards to its sound production mechanisms. Its genus Acinipe, a Mediterranean element, is composed of several species with a quite restricted distribution, but there is limited knowledge on their sound production. Acinipe segurensis (Bolívar, 1908) is an endemic species from the Mediterranean area of the Iberian Peninsula, and there is no information on its sound production. The sounds produced by this species have been recorded and studied at the time and frequency domains, allowing their description for the first time. The sound is composed of echemes of single or double syllables, emitted by females when isolated from males. Both tegmina and wings are involved in the sound production through a ridge located at the basal third of the tegminal inner face and the costal vein of the wing. The sound and sound production mechanism are discussed in relation to data available from other Pamphagidae species. The results of the present study illustrate the interest in studying sound production in this family, which has secondarily adapted some structures for its function, causing diversity in both sounds and sound production mechanisms.