Mate recognition and location in Cicadellidae is mediated exclusively via substrate-borne vibrational signals. In the present study we investigated vibrational signals and mate searching behaviour of the leafhopper Aphrodes makarovi. We studied mating behaviour and exchange of vibrational signals between live insects and in playback experiments. Males emitted long and complex calling signals composed of several sections. Female reply was long and always overlapped the end of the male call. The exchange of male and female vibrational signals was a complex and dynamic interaction during which both partners modified their signals according to partner’s reply. The duration of female reply was influenced by the duration of the male call to which she was responding, while the duration of male call was influenced by the duration of the previous female reply. Such relationship suggests the role of sexual selection in the evolution of male vibrational signals.
Acoustic substrate‐borne communication between hoppers has been well studied with certain patterns of acoustic behaviour considered typical. We report observations of acoustic behaviour in two Australian leafhoppers, Stenocotis depressa (Walker) and Austrolopa brunensis Evans, that are markedly atypical. Two types of unusual acoustic behaviour were observed: female–female interactions, and the transmission of an elaborate male call through direct physical contact with the female. We discuss the evolution of these acoustic displays based on our observations of these hoppers and their environments, including the potential roles of intra‐sexual competition and the carrying capacity of the plant substrate. The discovery of these unusual behaviour patterns emphasizes the need for broader surveys of the diversity of acoustic behaviour in the Hemiptera.
Berzelius failed to make use of Faraday's electrochemical laws in his laborious determination of equivalent weights.