The Efficiency of Sound Production in Two Cricket Species, Gryllotalpa Australis and Teleogryllus Commodus (Orthoptera: Grylloidea)

Males of Gryllotalpa australis (Erichson) (Gryllotalpidae) and Teleogryllus commodus (Walter) (Gryllidae) produced their calling songs while confined in respirometers. G. australis males used oxygen during calling at a mean rate of 4–637ml O2h−1, equivalent to 27·65 mW of metabolic energy, which was 13 times higher than the resting metabolic rate. T. commodus males used oxygen during calling at a rate of 0·728 ml O2 h−1, equivalent to 4·34mW, which was four times the resting metabolic rate. The sound field during calling by males represents a sound power output of 0·27 mW for G. australis and 1·51×10−3mW for T. commodus. The efficiency of sound production was 1·05% for males of G. australis and 0·05 % for males of T. commodus. Comparison with other insect species suggests that none is more than a few percent efficient in sound production.