| Publication Type: | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication: | 2001 |
| Authors: | P. Hirschberger |
| Journal: | Journal of Insect Behavior |
| Volume: | 14 |
| Pagination: | 69-88 |
| Keywords: | communication, geographic variability, mate choice, mating system, substrate vibration |
| Abstract: | Aphodius dung beetles produce substrate vibrations by means of an abdomino- alary stridulatory organ. Applying a method that allows the recording of Aphodius vibrations under natural conditions in a small amount of dung, the stridulatory behavior of Aphodius ater was investigated. Male A. ater are acoustically active, while females rarely stridulate. Males have a complex song, which consists of a series of different patterns that are displayed in a specific order over a considerable time when a female is encountered in the dung. Different populations show the same stridulatory patterns but individ- ual variability is high and males display songs with differing complexity. It is hypothesized that females use the information within the song in the context of mate choice. |