Intracolony vibroacoustic communication in social insects

Communication through substrate-borne vibrations has for long been recognized but in comparison with air-borne sound it has received very little attention. However, in recent years it has become increasingly clear that vibrational signals play a crucial role in communication in many insect groups and we provide a short overview. Vibrational signals are related to sexual behavior, alarm and defensive behavior and are often used to mediate coordinated group actions and complex social interactions. For small insects they are probably the least costly and most far-reaching signals for intraspecific communication and also not easily perceived by a potential predator or parasitoid. Substrate-borne signals are produced by diversed methods and detected by sensitive receptors in all six legs. The courtship behavior of the southern green stink bug Nezara viridula (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) is taken as a representative model in illustrating some principal mechanisms of vibrational communication in insects. Species and sex specific vibrational signals produced during the courtship are well suited for propagation through plants and to transmit the relevant information about the species and sex of the sender as well as provide the directional cue for locating the mate. The role of substrate-borne signals as a part of the specific mate recognition systems which are unique for each species makes studies of vibrational signals a very useful tool for resolving taxonomic problems.