Species Specificity in the Phonotaxis of Female Ground Crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae: Nemobiinae)1,2

Abstract

In two-choice phonotactic experiments females of the sympatric species Allonemobius fasciatus, A. allardi, and A. tinnulus were preferentially attracted to the calling songs of conspecific males. In the absence of choice, however, females of each species walked to a speaker playing a heterospecific calling song. Female response to calling song in these species is important in reproductive isolation, but it is not sufficient to prevent interspecific courtship and mating behavior in mixed species groups.