Levels of Airborne Sound And Substrate-borne Vibration Calling Are Negatively Related Across Neotropical False-leaf Katydids.

Animals often signal in multiple sensory modalities to attract mates, but the level of signaling investment in each modality can differ dramatically between individuals and across species. When functionally overlapping signals are produced in different modalities, their relative use can be influenced by many factors, including differences in signal active space, energetic costs, and predation risk. Characterizing differences in total signal investment across time can shed light on these factors, but requires long focal recordings of signal production.

A tangled web: Comparing inter- and intraspecific mating dynamics in Anasa squash bugs.

Reproductive interference, reproductive interactions between heterospecific individuals including mating, is commonly reported across taxa, but its drivers are still unclear. Studying interspecific matings in the context of their conspecific mating system-by relating an individual's conspecific mating behaviour to its heterospecific interactions-offers a powerful approach to address this uncertainty. Here, we compare inter- and intraspecific mating dynamics in the squash bug Anasa tristis and its close relative Anasa andresii under semi-natural conditions.

Prolonged and variable copulation durations in a promiscuous insect species: No evidence of reproductive benefits for females.

Within promiscuous mating systems, copulation often functions as more than a means of fertilization, and copulation durations can vary widely. Copulating for prolonged durations can enhance both female and male reproductive success, but can also result in costs: females of some insect species experience increased fecundity and fertility through male-provided nutrition during prolonged copulations, but also decreased longevity due to male-driven mechanisms. Here, for a common, promiscuous insect species (the squash bug, Anasa tristis), we first describe the range of copulation duration, which spans from 2 min to over 23 h.

Reproductive Costs for Hybridizing Female Anasa tristis (Hemiptera: Coreidae), but No Evidence of Selection Against Interspecific Mating.

Individuals of different species sometimes mate in nature, and such behavior often carries costs, such as wasted gametes and inviable offspring. One context in which interspecific mating commonly occurs is when closely related species come into secondary contact. Here, we tested whether reproductive isolation is greater in an area of recent secondary contact than in allopatry for two closely related insect species, and we examined whether mating between individuals of these two species constitutes reproductive interference.

Negative feedback from maternal signals reduces false alarms by collectively signalling offspring.

Within animal groups, individuals can learn of a predator's approach by attending to the behaviour of others. This use of social information increases an individual's perceptual range, but can also lead to the propagation of false alarms. Error copying is especially likely in species that signal collectively, because the coordination required for collective displays relies heavily on social information.