Title

Variation and Repeatability of Calling Behavior in Crickets Subject to a Phonotactic Parasitoid Fly

Author Info

Gita R. Kolluru, University of California - RiversideFollow

Recommended Citation

Postprint version. Published in Journal of Insect Behavior, Volume 12, Issue 5, September 1, 1999, pages 611-626.

NOTE: At the time of publication, the author Gita Kolluru was not yet affiliated with Cal Poly.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020923602780.

Abstract

Male Teleogryllus oceanicus (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) produce a conspicuous calling song to attract females. In some populations, the song also attracts the phonotactic parasitoid fly Ormia ochracea (Diptera: Tachinidae). I examined the factors affecting calling song by characterizing the calling behavior of caged crickets from an area where the fly occurs. Calling activity (proportion of time spent calling) was repeatable and a significant predictor of female attraction. However, calling activity in the parasitized population was lower than in an unparasitized Moorea population (Orsak, 1988), suggesting a compromise between high activity to attract females and low activity to avoid flies. Calling activity peaked simultaneously with fly searching, so crickets did not shift to calling when the fly is less active. Males harboring larvae did not call less than unparasitized males; however, a more controlled study of the effects of parasitization on calling behavior is needed to evaluate this result. The results are discussed in the context of other studies of the evolutionary consequences of sexual and natural selection on cricket calling behavior.

Disciplines

Biology

Copyright

1999 Springer.