Vol. 50 No. 5, 2011

Acoustic and Molecular Differentiation between Macropters and Brachypters of Eobiana engelhardti engelhardti (Orthoptera: Tettigonioidea)

Yin-Liang Wang, Jian Zhang, Xiao-Qiang Li, and Bing-Zhong Ren*

Jilin Key Laboratory of Animal Resource Conservation and Utilization, School of Life Sciences, Northeast Normal Univ., 5268 Renmin St., Changchun CO130024, China

Yin-Liang Wang, Jian Zhang, Xiao-Qiang Li, and Bing-Zhong Ren (2011) This study focused on the wing dimorphism of Eobiana engelhardti engelhardti (Uvarov 1926). To examine acoustic differences between macropters and brachypters, we recorded and analyzed the calling songs of the 2 forms. Moreover, the vocal organs of E. e. engelhardti were also observed under optical and scanning electric microscopy. As a result, there were 3 “dynamic” song traits which had significant differences between the 2 forms, but no obvious differences were observed in vocal organs. For macropters, we assumed that differentiation of these calling songs showed compensation for a reproductive disadvantage. Finally, some molecular biology experiments were conducted to examine differences between the 2 forms at the molecular biology level; as a result, brachypterous insects were grouped in a clade, while macropterous insects were grouped into another, which indicates that these molecular differences had already occurred before these macropters migrated.

Key words: Insect songs, Katydid, Toothed flies, Wing dimorphism.

*Correspondence: E-mail:bzren@163.com