Musical Male Tree Cricket, Gathering_2008 - Neoxabea bipunctata

:D Once again, I've Moved

Moved from Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, August 8-10, 2008. Apparently the Gathering section is intended to hold non-bug photos -- and this beautiful photo is a great addition to the N. bipunctata page. Hope you don't mind, Kris.

… Wisconsin Oecanthinancy, 4 October, 2008 - 6:49pm

Hole-chewing

Is this behavior unique to this species, or do Oecanthus species do it too?

The guide pages look great, by the way.

… Charley Eiseman, 9 January, 2009 - 12:00am

As far as I know....

...Neoxabea is the only species to actually make these holes. The holes that I have encountered are always the same shape -- and are always a size that would be a perfect fit for open wings to cover.
http://www.oecanthinae.com/1878.html
I recall Dr. Thomas J. Walker mentioning in a message that "An African Oecanthus has been observed to do this."
There are photos in BugGuide of Oecanthus niveus using holes in leaves to position its wings to amplify it's call -- but they were not made by the tree cricket.

I personally have not yet encountered any of our Oecanthus species using these self-made holes.

… Wisconsin Oecanthinancy, 9 January, 2009 - 5:36am

Thanks

I will make it my mission to see this in action this summer!

… Charley Eiseman, 9 January, 2009 - 6:23am

Moved

Moved from Two-spotted Tree Cricket. I had hoped this photo could show up under both the Two-spotted TC page and this page, but I'm moving it back to the original posted spot and have put out a request for someone to post another photo that can be put in the N. bipunctata page.

… Wisconsin Oecanthinancy, 4 October, 2008 - 8:59am

You could also

put a thumbnail in the guide page, maybe in the "life cycle" section.

… Charley Eiseman, 4 October, 2008 - 1:35pm

I'll be working on all of the guide pages for Oecanthinae...

...as soon as there are no more live tree crickets outdoors. They were still out in good numbers today.

… Wisconsin Oecanthinancy, 4 October, 2008 - 6:48pm

Moved

Moved from Smoky Mountains, Tennessee, August 8-10, 2008.

… Wisconsin Oecanthinancy, 3 October, 2008 - 11:45pm

Thanks for this wonderful photo, Kris

I'm glad everyone felt the same way about my main bugs of interest--Oecanthinae. We watched this male Two-spotted Tree Cricket chew this opening to fit his wings to amplify his singing. Kris' great photo also shows the metanotal gland area (like a tree cricket honey pot) -- where the female will feed while he slips the spermatophore where it needs to be.

… Wisconsin Oecanthinancy, 11 August, 2008 - 8:17pm

Hmmmmm...

Well now this makes me wonder then, because recently I discovered a tree cricket inside my house singing like crazy, and he was precariously, but determinately perched on the edge of a stovepipe which hadn't been installed yet, which, much to my chagrin, was enormously amplifying his chirp. Perhaps his choice of placement was not, as I thought, accidental!

… Crystal Slaght, 25 August, 2008 - 3:31pm

Wow, isn't that amazing

I agree, he knew EXACTLY what he was doing :D

… Wisconsin Oecanthinancy, 3 October, 2008 - 11:43pm