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10-Minute Presentation

Plant-Insect Ecosystems

10-min: P-IE, Behavior and Chemical Ecology

Probing behavior influences vibrational communication of the beet leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus )

Sunday, November 9, 2025
4:18 PM - 4:30 PM Pacific
Location: Oregon Convention Center, E145, OCC
Oral Presentation
Leafhoppers (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) use substrate-borne vibrations to communicate with conspecifics, and the structural characteristics of these vibrational signals help identify potential mates. The intensity of signals is thought to influence behavioral responses, and while leafhoppers are known to produce signals while probing and not probing plants, it is not known if probing influences characteristics of vibrational signals. Here, we combine simultaneous recordings of probing and vibrational communication behaviors to assess how beet leafhopper (Circulifer tenellus) calling signals vary while feeding. Recordings of signals during 6-hour recordings of 15 male beet leafhoppers had a significantly higher dominant frequency when leafhoppers were probing than when they were not probing. However, the dominant frequency of signals was similar when leafhoppers were engaged in different probing behaviors. Additional contact between the leafhopper and the plant surface, provided by leafhopper mouthparts, may allow for improved transmission of higher frequencies. Data are being analyzed to determine how other signal parameters differ when leafhoppers are engaged in different probing behaviors.