This month will be devoted to song rate graphs – concentrating on the trilling species in the US: nigricornis, niveus and varicornis species groups and Neoxabea bipunctata. Each day will offer a graph of one species showing frequency by pulse rate of the male song. The remaining days will build a combined graph, and perhaps show some species from outside the US. I use RavenLite to determine frequency (I place the cursor at the center of the envelopes) and to count the pulse rate (I use only a 1 second snapshot – not an average). I am using recordings from the Singing Insects of North America, iNaturalist, Macaulay Library, Orthoptera Species File and from my own library of recordings. Trendlines (linear) are included as an option offered through Microsoft Excel. These graphs should not be considered research grade, they are simply intended to give us a glimpse of how the species’ songs compare to each other. I will also occasionally put expected temperatures on the top of each species’ graph, or on the trendlines. Some are actual temperatures, while others are filled in as estimates. In looking at spreadsheets in SINA and my own recordings, it is interesting how much variation there is in frequencies….even at the same pulse rates by the same recordists….there is still so much we do not know about these amazing insects. NOV 30 – Linear and Logarithmic Trendlines of US Trillers 10 continuous trillers, 4 intermittent trillers, 3 intermittent bursts of trilling (Linear above; Logarithmic below) NOV 29 – Nicaragua Oecanthus NOV 28 – North American Neoxabea N. ottei and N. cerrojesusensis were recorded in one area of Nicaragua, on two evenings of same temperatures, and no permit to import live individuals to the U.S. for further study. NOV 27 – Asia and Australia With … Continue reading NOVEMBER