BIOACOUSTICS OF A MINIATURE CRICKET, CYCLOPTILOIDES CANARIENSIS (ORTHOPTERA, GRYLLIDAE, MOGOPLISTINAE)

Male crickets, Cycloptiloides canariensis (body length 5mm), stridulat e with their forewings, which are hidden during rest under the large s hield-like pronotum. The wings are opened into the stridulatory positi on by bending the body between the pro- and mesothorax, The song is a 2s trill composed on average of 260 pulses (syllables) with a carrier frequency of about 6kHz, The sound-emitting structures on the wings ha ve been studied by laser vibrometry and particle dusting, A distinct m embrane area, which includes a prominent mirror cell, acts as a resona tor, amplifying the fundamental carrier frequency produced by interact ions between the file and plectrum, The resonating membrane is extreme ly thin (mirror cell thickness 0.2 mu m), which is a physical requirem ent for maintaining the carrier frequency in the cricket-specific rang e, Covering the wings after singing is probably an adaptation to prote ct these delicate structures from damage by mechanical contact during social interactions, especially mating.