Bioacoustics of Popplepsalta simplex

Distribution and Ecology ( Figure 19 ). The Wet Tropics region of north-eastern Queensland , from Julatten south-west of Mossman south over much of Atherton Tableland to Paluma, Hervey Range and Bluewater Creek Rest Area near Townsville. Populations occur on the high rainfall, fertile slopes, and along watercourses and on rocky outcrops in slightly drier areas. Adults are typically found in association with Corymbia tessellaris and other eucalypt species. They are present in December and January, with peak numbers between mid-December and New Year. Singing males are mobile and typically call from a wide variety of singing stations, from tree trunks to foliage and even grass. Geological and Pedological Associations . Adults associated with plants on rich ferrosols derived from basalt (Atherton and Julatten areas) and, contrastingly, on low fertility fine sand soils derived from rhyolite and finegrained granites (Dimbulah, Herberton and further south). Calling Song ( Figs 2G , 25–26 ). Pauropsalta simplex produces the most basic calling song in the P. annulata species complex. It comprises only single echemes (68–132 syllables; 0.557 – 1.057 s) that are monotonously repeated and punctuated by silences ( 0.214 – 0.492 s) (all statistics, n=15 individuals). The three to five syllables at the beginning of each repeated echeme are discrete, with the remainder tending to coalesce. It has a phrase repetition rate of 0.770 – 1.430 s, syllable repetition rate of 65–85 Hz, a dominant frequency plateau of 8.0–12.0 kHz and highest amplitude frequency between 8.9–11.1 kHz. Male–female duetting has been observed in the field, but a recording was not obtained. The female responded with a wing-flick during the silences that punctuated the repeated echemes. This species' calling song cannot be reliably differentiated from that of P. fuscata Ewart s. str. , a species from south-eastern Australia , but specimens can be differentiated easily by morphology (see Ewart (1989) for comparison between P. annulata group and P. encaustica group; the latter of which includes P. fuscata ).