SPECTRAL FLUCTUATION ANALYSIS REVEALS VARIATIONIN CICADA ADVERTISEMENT-SONG STRUCTURES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18173/2354-1059.2026-0023Keywords:
spectral fluctuation analysis, advertisement song, cicadaAbstract
Understanding song structure is a fundamental step in any bioacoustic study because it provides a basis for interpreting signal production and behavioral function. Previously, an analytical framework based on spectral fluctuation analysis of peak frequency and amplitude was proposed, considering peak frequency as a species-specific signal perceived by females. In this study, advertisement songs of three cicada species with varying structural complexity, Cryptotympana atrata, Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata, and Meimuna opalifera, were analyzed to evaluate the applicability of this framework. Spectral fluctuations were examined using the strucchange package in R, and generalized linear regression models were fitted between peak frequency and root-mean-square amplitude to identify structural breakpoints. The results showed that songs of C. atrata were primarily divided into two non-repetitive parts, whereas G. nigrofuscata produced songs comprising five distinct segments. In M. opalifera, advertisement songs consisted of five sequential parts, each containing multiple frequency- and amplitude-modulated echemes. These findings demonstrate the robustness of the proposed approach in identifying song structures across species with different levels of complexity and provide an informative foundation for subsequent bioacoustic and behavioral studies.
References
[1] P. J. Fonseca, “Cicada acoustic communication” in Insect Hearing and Acoustic Communication, B. Hedwig, Ed., Berlin, Germany: Springer, 2014, pp. 101-121.
[2] A. Ewing, Arthropod Bioacoustics, Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1989.
[3] P. J. Fonseca, D. Münch & R. M. Hennig, “Auditory perception: How cicadas interpret acoustic signals”, Nature, vol. 405, no. 6784, pp. 297-300, 2000.
[4] J. Sueur, J. F. C. Windmill & D. Robert, “Tuning the drum: The mechanical basis for frequency discrimination in a Mediterranean cicada”, Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 209, no. 20, pp. 4115-4128, 2006. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.02460.
[5] J. F. C. Windmill, J. Sueur & D. Robert, “The next step in cicada audition: Measuring pico-mechanics in the cicada’s ear”, Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 212, no. 24, pp. 4079-4083, 2009. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.033019.
[6] J. M. Doolan & D. Young, “Relative importance of song parameters during flight phonotaxis and courtship in the bladder cicada Cystosoma saundersii”, Journal of Experimental Biology, vol. 141, pp. 113-131, 1989. DOI: 10.1242/jeb.141.1.113.
[7] P. J. Fonseca, E. A. Serrão, F. Pina-Martins, P. Silva, S. Mira, J. A. Quartau, O. S. Paulo & L. Cancela, “The evolution of cicada songs contrasted with the relationships inferred from mitochondrial DNA (Insecta, Hemiptera)”, Bioacoustics, vol. 18, no. 1, pp. 17-34, 2008. DOI: 10.1080/09524622.2008.9753588.
[8] G. Pinto-Juma, P. C. Simoes, S. G. Seabra & J. A. Quartau, “Calling song structure and geographic variation in Cicada orni Linnaeus (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)”, Zoological Studies, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 81-94, 2005.
[9] J. Sueur & S. Puissant, “Similar look but different song: A new Cicadetta species in the montana complex (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadidae)”, Zootaxa, vol. 1442, pp. 55-68, 2007.
[10] M. Gogala, A. V. Popov & D. Ribaric, “Bioacoustics of singing cicadas of the western Palaearctic: Cicadetta tibialis (Panzer) (Cicadoidea: Tibicinidae)”, Acta Entomologica Slovenica, vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 45-62, 1996.
[11] T. Hertach, “Three species instead of only one: Distribution and ecology of the Cicadetta montana species complex (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea) in Switzerland”, Mitteilungen der Schweizerischen Entomologischen Gesellschaft, vol. 80, no. 1-2, pp. 37-55, 2007.
[12] M. Gogala, S. Drosopoulos & T. Trilar, “Cicadetta montana complex (Hemiptera, Cicadidae) in Greece: A new species and new records based on bioacoustics”, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, vol. 55, no. 1, pp. 91-100, 2008. DOI: 10.1002/mmnd.200800006.
[13] M. Gogala, T. Trilar & S. Drosopoulos, “Two new species and a new genus of Cicadettini (Hemiptera, Cicadidae) from the Greek island of Evia”, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift, vol. 58, no. 1, pp. 105-117, 2011. DOI: 10.1002/mmnd.201100007.
[14] J. R. Cooley & D. C. Marshall, “Sexual signaling in periodical cicadas, Magicicada spp. (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)”, Behaviour, vol. 138, no. 7, pp. 827-855, 2001.
[15] D. Young, “Analysis of songs of some Australian cicadas (Homoptera: Cicadidae)”, Australian Journal of Entomology, vol. 11, no. 3, pp. 237-243, 1972.
[16] M. Gogala, “Songs of four cicada species from Thailand”, Bioacoustics, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 101-116, 1995. DOI: 10.1080/09524622.1995.9753278.
[17] M. Gogala & T. Trilar, “Biodiversity of cicadas in Malaysia: A bioacoustic approach”, Serangga, vol. 9, no. 1-2, pp. 63-81, 2004.
[18] P. J. Fonseca, “Characteristics of the acoustic signals in nine species of cicadas (Homoptera, Cicadidae)”, Bioacoustics, vol. 3, no. 3, pp. 173-192, 1991. DOI: 10.1080/09524622.1991.9753178.
[19] T. Trilar, M. Gogala & V. Popa, “Contribution to the knowledge of the singing cicadas (Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadoidea) of Romania”, Acta Entomologica Slovenica, vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 175-190, 2006.
[20] N. Q. Hoa, S. Ji, J. Kang, V. T. H. My & Y. Jang, “An analysis of advertisement songs of Hyalessa maculaticollis (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)”, HNUE Journal of Science, vol. 68, no. 3, pp. 117-127, 2023. DOI: 10.18173/2354-1059.2023-0067.
[21] A. Zeileis, F. Leisch, K. Hornik & C. Kleiber, “Strucchange: An R package for testing for structural change in linear regression models”, Journal of Statistical Software, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 1-38, 2002. DOI: 10.17877/DE290R-12194.
[22] K. A. Spencer & S. A. MacDougall-Shackleton, “Singing to impress: The importance of developmental stress”, Behavioral Ecology, vol. 22, no. 1, pp. 14-15, 2011. DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq116.
[23] D. Hasselquist, S. Bensch & T. von Schantz, “Correlation between male song repertoire, extra-pair paternity and offspring survival in the great reed warbler”, Nature, vol. 381, no. 6579, pp. 229-232, 1996.
[24] S. Nowicki, W. A. Searcy & S. Peters, “Brain development, song learning and mate choice in birds: A review and experimental test of the ‘nutritional stress hypothesis’”, Journal of Comparative Physiology A, vol. 188, no. 11-12, pp. 1003-1014, 2002. DOI: 10.1007/s00359-002-0361-3.
[25] P. J. Fonseca, “Sound production in cicadas: Timbal muscle activity during calling song and protest song”, Bioacoustics, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 13-31, 1996. DOI: 10.1080/09524622.1996.9753312.
