Phonotaxis of male field crickets, Gryllus bimaculatus, to conspecific calling song

In many cricket species, individuals fill sex-specific mating roles. For mate attraction in the field cricket Gryllus bimaculatus, males remain stationary and produce a species-specific calling song (senders) while females detect this signal and move towards it in a behaviour known as phonotaxis (receivers). Male G. bimaculatus have been observed responding to the calling song of conspecifics, and phonotaxis has anecdotally been reported for males in related species. Here, we aimed to quantify the tuning and intensity of male phonotaxis behaviour in G. bimaculatus by using a trackball system and established acoustic paradigms, and by comparing responses to typical female phonotaxis. The tuning to a syllable repetition interval (SRI) paradigm was similar between the sexes and both preferred sound patterns that correspond to the male calling song. Also, the responses to different chirp patterns were not different between the sexes; however, the male's absolute steering responses to attractive chirps were significantly weaker than in female phonotaxis. Our results highlight the presence of phonotactic behaviour in male G. bimaculatus, which may be relevant for keeping populations together or indicative of alternative mating strategies.(c) 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.