Sound in Different ways
While both crickets and cicadas generate sound to attract mates they do this in very different ways. The crickets use a method called Stridulation which is the development of specialised body parts that make contact with each other to produce a ‘chirp-like’ call, where cicadas use a Tymbal method, which involves a specialised body cavity and associated parts to contract a space and vibrate specialised ribs internally thus generating sound (Gullan & Cranston, pp. 99-101, 2010).
Both of these methods on their own are not very loud so again crickets and cicadas have evolved different means of amplifying the call. Crickets have two different ways amplifying and this depends on the life history of the specific cricket species, burrowing crickets generally change their surroundings to amplify their call, for example the mole cricket (Scapteriscus borellia) digs a horn shaped burrow that acts in the same way as a megaphone to project the chirp over a much larger distance (Gullan & Cranston, pp. 99-101, 2010). Whereas crickets that have wings generally have a tegminal (singular: tegman) which is a modification that results in a thickened leathery wing that allows the subalar space (space under the wing) to act as a resonator (Gullan & Cranston, pp. 47, 99-101, 2010, Stephen & Hartley, 1995). Cicadas on the other hand have adapted sections of their tracheal system (respiratory system) to compartmentalise into internal air sacs that resonate the mating call that is generated thus amplifying it (Gullan & Cranston, pp. 99-101, 2010).
Both of these methods on their own are not very loud so again crickets and cicadas have evolved different means of amplifying the call. Crickets have two different ways amplifying and this depends on the life history of the specific cricket species, burrowing crickets generally change their surroundings to amplify their call, for example the mole cricket (Scapteriscus borellia) digs a horn shaped burrow that acts in the same way as a megaphone to project the chirp over a much larger distance (Gullan & Cranston, pp. 99-101, 2010). Whereas crickets that have wings generally have a tegminal (singular: tegman) which is a modification that results in a thickened leathery wing that allows the subalar space (space under the wing) to act as a resonator (Gullan & Cranston, pp. 47, 99-101, 2010, Stephen & Hartley, 1995). Cicadas on the other hand have adapted sections of their tracheal system (respiratory system) to compartmentalise into internal air sacs that resonate the mating call that is generated thus amplifying it (Gullan & Cranston, pp. 99-101, 2010).