Tuesday, 12 August 2025

This is either genius ... or incredibly stupid

We have hugely underestimated the importance of sound communication in Hemiptera (bugs). Part of the reason for this is that many bug sounds consist of low frequency infrasound, e.g. vibrating the abdomen against a plant stem, or high frequency ultrasound, and the equipment needed to work with these frequencies is not widely available. I've written previously about this in Kleidocerys, and my frustration at not owning a conveniently-sized laser Doppler vibrometer. So, what if I told you that I'd figured out (by which I mean accidentally stumbled upon), a way of recording Kleidocerys calls on my mobile phone?

Listen to the soundtrack on this short video - sorry, it's a bit quiet, you'll need to turn your volume up: 


Yesterday, confronted by Alders, I had another go at finding Kleidocerys privignus (no luck, all Kleidocerys resedae, Birch Catkin Bugs). To check the ID's I was photographing them using a floating frame (see: Floating frames for macro photography), where the bug is trapped, unharmed, between two layers of transparent flexible film. Unharmed, but in the case of one of the Birch Catkin Bugs I was working with, pretty annoyed. The film appears to transform the ultrasonic calls of the bug into a lower, hearable frequency. By holding my mobile phone near the floating frame I was able to record the bug's irritation (before releasing it completely unharmed). The question is, would I be able to tell the difference in calls between K. resedae and K. ericae (should I ever find a specimen of K. ericae)?
 


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