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First recording of the sound produced by the black citrus aphid, Toxoptera aurantii (Boy.)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 July 2009

W. B. Broughton  and
K. M. Harris
W. B. Broughton
Affiliation:
Animal Acoustics Unit, Sir John Cass School of Science and Technology, City of London Polytechnic, London, E.C.3
K. M. Harris
Affiliation:
Royal Horticultural Society's Garden, Wisley, Surrey, England
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Extract

The black citrus aphid, Toxaptera aurantii (Boy.), produces a distinct scraping sound by rhythmic movements of whole colonies. It is the only species of aphid known to produce audible sounds and the acoustical content of a preliminary recording of these sounds is reported in detail. During one recording the aphids stridulated 15 times in 21 seconds, giving an average period of 1–4 seconds between emissions and this rate remained virtually constant for at least an hour. Analysis of the recording established a clear peak frequency band at about 4–6 kHz with another around 800 Hz-1 kHz and possibly another in the ultra-sonic range above 18 kHz. Morphological adaptations of the abdominal cuticle and of the hind tibiae to form a stridulatory apparatus are illustrated and possible functions of stridulation as a defence mechanism or as a means of intraspecific communication are briefly discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bulletin of Entomological Research , Volume 60 , Issue 4 , June 1971 , pp. 559 - 563
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1971

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References

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