Modification of the courtship song by visual stimuli in the grasshopper Gomphocerus rufus (Acrididae)

ABSTRACT. Males of Gomphocerus rufus L. perform a courtship song consisting of repetitive units, each of which is composed of three subunits (S1, S2, S3). S1 is characterized mainly by slow and fast head rolling; S2 and S3 are distinguished by different types of leg-stridulation. These movements and the associated sounds were recorded during presentation of visual stimuli, either linear displacement of a living female or optomotor stimuli generated by a striped drum. Females moved artificially through the binocular visual field of a courting male with a velocity of 1 cm/s or more are mounted by the male from any subunit S1, S2 or S3, although under natural conditions mounting occurs only from S2. Thus above a critical velocity the courtship programme can be modified. Rotation of a striped drum about the yaw axis of the male during the slow S1 induces asymmetrical leg position, following movements of the head, and prolongation of S1. During S2 the male is especially sensitive to optomotor stimuli and responds with marked changes in body position. In S3 the intensity of the song is reduced, and its duration shortened. Fast drum movements interrupt the courtship programme. Rotation of the drum about the roll axis elicits optomotor head turning that interferes with the head rolling of S1. The fast phase of S1 and the frequency of head-rolling during S1 cannot be modified by optomotor stimulation. The results can be interpreted by assuming certain interactions between three central nervous elements: a calling-song generator, a head-rolling generator, and an optomotor centre.