Bioacoustics of Popplepsalta blackdownensis

Distribution and Ecology ( Figure 19 ). This species occurs on the northern slopes and the central plateau of the Blackdown Tableland, the Dawson Range west of Banana, Eleven Mile Creek east of the Expedition Range and north of Rubyvale; all in central Queensland . Males call from high on the main trunks and upper branches of eucalypts in dry sclerophyll forest. Geological and Pedological Associations . This species occurs in shallow stony sandy loams, derived from sandstone, on plateaus and ranges. Calling Song ( Figs 2F , 23–24 ). Based upon the observations and recordings obtained so far, this species produces only a lilting component in its calling song. The simple, repeated phrases comprise a long echeme (4–5 syllables, 0.040 –0.070 s) followed by a silence ( 0.035 –0.063 s), then a short echeme (3 syllables, 0.030 –0.040 s) and a long silence ( 0.133 –0.165 s) (all statistics, n=6 individuals). The drawn out silences and echemes of alternating duration give the calling song a slow, maraca-like quality. It has a phrase repetition rate of 0.250 –0.320 s, syllable repetition rate of 80–100 Hz, frequency plateau between 7.5–12.0 kHz and a highest amplitude dominant frequency of 8.1–9.5 kHz. No cases of male–female duets have been recorded for this species.