ACOUSTICAL COMMUNICATION BY LIPARA LUCENS (DIPTERA, CHLOROPIDAE)

Males of Lipara lucens Mg, living on stems of Common Reed (Phragmites communis Trin.) emit acoustical signals perceived at a distance by a female fly sitting on the same reed stem as vibration of the substrate. Virgin females respond to these signals by vibrating, which in turn elicits searching behaviour in the male fly. It is suggested that this behaviour reduces the time required to find a partner, because a reed stem needs only be visited briefly to ascertain whether a receptive female is present.