Tamaricades decoratus (Haupt, 1917)

Tishechkin, D. Yu., 2024, New data on the male calling signals of Palearctic Deltocephalinae (Homoptera: Cicadellidae), Russian Entomological Journal 33 (1), pp. 9-21 : 13

10. Tamaricades decoratus (Haupt, 1917)

Figs 38–41 .

MATERIAL. Kyrgyzstan, Western Tien-Shan Mts. , ca 10 km north of Tash-Kumyr Town, 41.469° N, 72.212° E, from Tamarix sp. , 4.VII.2023, signals of four males recorded at 29 and 35 ° C .

SIGNALS. The male calling signal consists of syllables lasting from about 0.7– 0.8 s up to 2–3 s ( Figs 38–39 ). Syllables follow with prolonged irregular gaps or in groups from 2 to 5–6 syllables. The pulse repetition period is about 50–90 ms at 29 ° C ( Fig. 40 ) and is 25–30 ms at 35 ° C ( Fig. 41 ). In the middle of the longest syllables the pulse shape sometimes changes, and their repetition period decreases to 15–16 ms at 35 oC.

REMARKS. According to Mityaev [2002] and our observations in Kyrgyzstan, nymphs and young adults of T. decoratus live in dense aggregations usually consisting of 10–15 individuals. However, when we placed two mature males on the twig about 10 cm long, one of them, sitting in the same place, continuously produced calling signals, whereas the other ran several times in different directions, and then left the twig without producing signals. Apparently, the transition of insects to a solitary life begins when males became acoustically active.

Figures

Figs 38–49. Male calling signals of Deltocephalinae. 38–41 — Tamaricades decoratus; 42–49 — Macrosteles fieberi. 38–43, 46–49 — oscillograms, 44–45 — oscillogram and sonogram of the same signal at the same speeds. Faster oscillograms of the parts of signals indicated as “40–41” and “46–49” are given under the same numbers. Рис. 38–49. ПриЗывные сигналы самцов Deltocephalinae. 38–41 — Tamaricades decoratus; 42–49 — Macrosteles fieberi. 38–43, 46–49 — осциллограммы, 44–45 — осциллограмма и сонограмма одного и того же сигнала при одной скорости раЗвертки. Фрагменты сигналов, помеченные цифрами “40–41” и “46–49”, представлены при большей скорости раЗвёртки на осциллограммах под соответствующими номерами.