Palomena prasina (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) vibratory signals and their tuning with plant substrates

Abstract

Palomena prasina is interesting for the study of vibrational communication within the Pentatomid subfamily Pentatominae, because its host range is limited to woody plants, unlike the better known Nezara viridula, whose vibrational communication is commonly used as a model for the whole family. The vibrational repertoire of P. prasina was described several decades ago and is redescribed in this paper using modern methods for non-contact vibration recording. Additionally, we hypothesized that this species has retained the capacity for signal frequency variation necessary for tuning to resonance properties of various host plants of Pentatominae, but if the signals are emited in the absence of mechanical feedback, they are tuned more specifically to their native acoustic environment — woody plants. By recording live bugs signalling on different substrates and comparing spectral properties of their signals among substrates, we found that there is a match between the signals emitted on a woody branch and those emitted on a non-resonant surface, while spectral properties of signals emitted on herbaceous plants differ. Our findings provide evidence in support of the signal tuning hypothesis and shed further light on the crucial role of substrate in vibrational communication of insects.

Vibrational communication of the brown marmorated stink bug (Halyomorpha halys)

“…The difference may either be a result of changes in the pulse envelope caused by transmission along the plant or a frequency difference of higher harmonics. Alternatively, it may reflect the emitter's response to the transmission properties of the substrate to achieve the most efficient transmission, as indicated by analysis of signals of Palomena prasina emitted on different substrates (Polajnar et al ., ). Such a hypothesis is supported in the present study by the fact that signals recorded from the female's thorax and from the substrate some distance away have the same dominant frequency, although this phenomenon needs to be tested more thoroughly before any conclusions can be drawn.…”

Study of the overwintering ecology of the hazelnut pest, Palomena prasina (L.) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) in a perspective of Integrated Pest Management

“…However, group mating communication in pentatomid species is generally multimodal, involving both long and short‐range signals (Čokl et al., 2019). Although short‐range vibrational signals have been reported for P. prasina (Polajnar et al., 2013), long‐range communication with chemical signals still requires investigation for this species.…”

Stink Bug Communication with Multimodal Signals Transmitted through Air and Substrate

“…Frequencies of signals recorded simultaneously on the pronotum of singing N. viridula and on the plant directly below differ only by plant-induced subdominant components above 300 and below 80 Hz [49]. Polajnar and co-workers [52] described in P. prasina (L.) significant frequency differences of vibrational signal recorded on the non-resonant substrate, woody or herbaceous plant. The median dominant frequency of all signals ranged around 100 Hz for signals recorded on loudspeaker membrane, around 96 Hz for those recorded on hazel and bean and around 110 Hz for sedge recorded ones.…”