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Signals of different modalities are involved in the behaviour of the green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.) (Pentatomidae, Heteroptera). Long range attraction is mediated by male pheromones, resulting in aggregation of bugs on the same plant where vibratory signals, vision and various chemical signals become important. Both males and females sing spontaneously. When both are on the plant, males start vibratory communication as often as females. Females induce the exchange of vibratory signals spontaneously or triggered by the male pheromone while males initiate the duet either spontaneously or after seeing the female. Males and females sing spontaneously and respond to signals of different modalities more often in the daylight than in the dark. Long lasting autonomous emission of the female calling song is present when triggered by the male pheromone and males respond to female calling predominantly by the emission of the courtship song. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Palomena prasina is interesting for the study of vibrational communication within the Pentatomid subfamily Pentatominae, because its host range is limited to woody plants, unlike the better known Nezara viridula, whose vibrational communication is commonly used as a model for the whole family. The vibrational repertoire of P. prasina was described several decades ago and is redescribed in this paper using modern methods for non-contact vibration recording. Additionally, we hypothesized that this species has retained the capacity for signal frequency variation necessary for tuning to resonance properties of various host plants of Pentatominae, but if the signals are emited in the absence of mechanical feedback, they are tuned more specifically to their native acoustic environment - woody plants. By recording live bugs signalling on different substrates and comparing spectral properties of their signals among substrates, we found that there is a match between the signals emitted on a woody branch and those emitted on a non-resonant surface, while spectral properties of signals emitted on herbaceous plants differ. Our findings provide evidence in support of the signal tuning hypothesis and shed further light on the crucial role of substrate in vibrational communication of insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of conspecifics to recognize and locate each other in the environment depends on the efficiency of intraspecific communication. We compared the mate searching strategies of southern green stinkbug Nezara viridula (male searches for a continuously calling female) and the leafhopper Aphrodes makarovi (partners form a precisely coordinated duet). Males of both species were tested on plants in playback experiments. One leaf was vibrated with unaltered conspecific female signals or with various conspecific signals using modified temporal parameters. The results showed that the onset of searching was faster in A. makarovi than in N. viridula. Changes in temporal parameters of female replies had negative effect on the searching behaviour of A. makarovi. Males located the source of longer female replies faster than the short female call and they failed to locate the source of a female reply with temporal parameters outside the species-specific values. In contrast, in N. viridula, searching males successfully located also the source of a female song with parameters outside the species-specific values. The results are discussed with regard to male behavioural strategies in species with different vibrational communication systems and different male mating investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Asopinae (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) are a subfamily of stinkbugs with predaceous feeding habits and poorly understood communication systems. In this study we recorded vibratory signals emitted by Picromerus bidens L. on a non-resonant substrate and investigated their frequency characteristics. Males and females produced signals by vibration of the abdomen and tremulation. The female and male songs produced by abdominal vibrations showed gender-specific time structure. There were no differences in the temporal patterns of male or female tremulatory signals. The signals produced by abdominal vibrations were emitted below 600 Hz whereas tremulatory signals had frequency ranges extending up to 4 kHz. Spectra of male vibratory signals produced by abdominal vibrations contained different peaks, each of which may be dominant within the same song sequence. Males alternated with each other during production of rivalry signals, using different dominant frequency levels. We show that the vibratory song repertoire of P. bidens is broader than those of other predatory stinkbugs that have been investigated. The emission of vibrational signals with different dominant frequencies but the same production mechanism has not yet been described in heteropteran insects, and may facilitate location of individual sources of vibration within a group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Males of the predaceous stink bug Podisus maculiventris (Say) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae) emit low frequency tremulatory signals. Laser vibrometry was used to record and analyze naturally emitted signals, focusing on variation in signal velocity and frequency during transmission through plants ( Phaseolus vulgaris L. and Plumbago auriculata Lam.) as a function of distance from the vibrational source. Signal velocity varied individually between 2 and 15 mm/s recorded on a plant close to the calling male and decreased by 0.3 to 1.5 dB/cm on bean and 0.3 to 0.9 dB/cm on plumbago. The dominant frequency of signals was variable at frequencies below 50 Hz. On bean frequencies centered around 10 Hz or 20 Hz were dominant for signals recorded at the source. Transmission through bean resulted in an increase in the 20 Hz peak relative to other frequencies in the signal. Variation of the dominant frequencies of signals transmitted through plumbago stems were more predictable, showing typical changes in amplitude relative to the distance from the source. The regular variation of the dominant frequency along the stem with linear increase of signal velocity at decreasing distance from the source may provide plant-dwelling insects with information about the distance to the calling individual. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effect of vibratory disturbance on sexual behaviour and substrate-borne sound communication of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula L. was studied. Disturbance signals do not change the time N. viridula males need to locate the source of vibratory signals, but decrease the number of males responding with the calling and courtship song to calling females. Female N. viridula proceed calling during stimulation with disturbance signals but some of them change the song rhythm by skipping one or more signal intervals or emitting the repelling signals. The number of females which change the dominant frequency of the calling song decreases proportionally with increasing differences between the dominant frequency of the disturbance signals and the emitted female calling song. Variation of the song dominant frequency probably serves females to avoid interference by increasing the signal to noise ratio. Signal duration and repetition rate do not change significantly when the female is stimulated with the disturbance signals. This indicates that frequency shift by calling females is the main strategy for reducing interference by competitive signalers in N. viridula vibrational communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]