Bioacoustics of Odontoxiphidium apterum

Variation . This species varies considerably in size ( Rehn & Hebard 1907 ), and specimens from the Florida Keys and extreme south Florida average larger than material from Georgia and northern Florida ( Rehn & Hebard 1914 ).A description of color variation comes from Rehn and Hebard (1907) , who describe the only notable color variations as occurring in the intensity of the median dorsal dark band and in the brown suffusion of the limbs. The author has documented a somewhat wider spectrum of color variation, with the extreme being insects with a brownish suffusion over the entire body ( Fig. 1D–G ), with any dull green coloration restricted to the tibiae. Most specimens, regardless of their color in life, fade to a dull yellow or brown after death, whether pinned or in ethanol. Brown individuals, although possessing proportionately larger eyes in relation to their heads than green individuals, otherwise agree morphologically with typical O. apterum , and their songs appear identical. Brown O. apterum have so far only been found in areas of xeric scrub habitat. Specimens with intermediate color patterns can be found at the ecotones of scrub and adjacent habitats such as sandhills or flatwoods, indicating gene flow between these populations. Song . The song of O. apterum ( Fig. 6D–F ) is quite variable (even among males from the same locality) and consists of a series of high-pitched buzzes of varying length. The number of pulses in each song varies immensely. Typical songs last between 4–16 seconds, with 3–4 seconds between songs. For two recorded males, carrier frequencies were 19488 and 22638 Hz, with additional harmonics at 54440, 62445, 68675, 74484 Hz in the second male. Males seem to sing both day and night.