VIBRATIONAL COMMUNICATION IN EUSATTUS CONVEXUS LECONTE (COLEOPTERA, TENEBRIONIDAE)

Individuals of Eusattus convexus LeConte were observed in the laborato ry and field in Ector County, Texas, and vibrational behavior quantifi ed. Males initiated rapping behavior after physical contact with femal es. Vibration was produced by raising and lowering the abdomen rapidly to rap on a substrate. The tempo of the rap was 26 raps/sec, with eac h rapping bout containing on average 23 individual raps. Playback of v ibration songs to males never initiated male rapping in either the lab oratory or the field. Females were never observed to rap.