FEMALE PREFERENCE FOR LARGE MALES IN THE BUSH-CRICKET REQUENA SP-5 (ORTHOPTERA, TETTIGONIIDAE)

Receptive females of the bushcricket Requena sp. 5 (Orthoptera: Tettig oniidae) are attracted to male calls. In this experiment we investigat e whether females discriminate between males on the basis of their cal ls. When virgin females were presented with two males of different siz e, they preferred the larger male. Larger males produce calls with a l ower carrier frequency compared to smaller males, suggesting that fema les may use male carrier frequency as a predictor of male size. Furthe rmore, larger males produce heavier spermatophores. This suggests that females may prefer to mate with larger males to receive large nuptial gifts.