D3444: Correlation of stridulatory apparatus dimensions and carrier frequency in Texas Ensifera species

The suborder Ensifera includes the families Tettigoniidae and Gryllidae that contain orthopterans known for their calls that are produced by rubbing together specialized structures on their forewings. These structures are composed of a stridulatory file, scraper, and mirror, or sound amplifying structure. In Tettigoniidae, most males possess asymmetrical wings with the file and an atrophied mirror on the left forewing and the scraper and functional mirror on the right. Correlations between these components of the stridulatory apparatus, body size, and the carrier frequency of a call have been found, and models are being built to predict the carrier frequency of a specimen without an available sound recording. At frequencies below 40 kHz, a combination of file length and left-wing mirror area has proven to be the most accurate predictor of carrier frequency. For specimens with calls at higher frequencies, predictions based on file length have proven inaccurate, so measurements of the areas of both mirrors have the strongest association with carrier frequency. Here, we have recorded the carrier frequencies, body sizes, and several measurements of the stridulatory apparatus for a number of Texas Ensifera specimens. By contributing these data, we aim to increase the reliability of models correlating these measurements and carrier frequency and expand on them to include non-resonant stridulation. These models can then be used to predict the calling frequencies of extinct species or those with calls that are otherwise impossible to observe, such as museum specimens, and increase knowledge of modern and ancient acoustic ecology.