Sammanfattning: | This paper concern the acoustíc emissions and the stridulatory apparatus in the adults of Coprís inceryus Say. species and is part of a comparativo analysis on communication mechanisms in Scarab beetles (Coleóptera). The anatomical features were studied from the morphofunctional standpoint by observing the stridulatory movements in vivo and analyzing the structure of the sound apparatus through a Scanning Electron Microscope. The stridulatory apparatus ís made up of a pars stridens and a plectrum; it works by rubbing the plectrum against the pars stridens due to the telescopio movement of the abdominal segmenta against the elytra. Acoustic emissions of uneasiness and protest were recorded and analyzed to obtain time and frequency measurements. The sounds are typically emitted in long sequences; in accordance with the structure and morphology of the stridulatory apparatus, sounds consist in pulse-trains whose pulse-rate is modulated, but with relatively smooth variatlons. Each emission consista oftwo subunits (disyllabicchirp), characterized by pulses with opposite phase, which are produced during backward extensión of the abdomen and its subsequent return to the resting position. The former subunit is highly constant while the latter, not always produced, is longer, with a íower and more variable pulse-rate, sometimes ending with pulses which are well spaced out. AH the sounds analyzed are homogeneous as regards acoustíc structure. As far as sex differences are concerned, the time parameters are relatively homogeneous between males and females while the pulse-rate is slgnificantly lower in males.
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