Wings and Things
The crickets bow
@ 25x
Found at the base of the forewing on a male house cricket, this thick, ridged vein acts as a file. The upper surface of the forewing is hardened, like a scraper. When the male cricket wants to call for a mate, he lifts his forewings and pulls the file of one wing across the scraper of the other. The thin, papery portions of the wings vibrate, amplifying the sound. This method of producing sound is called stridulation (which means "to make a harsh sound" in Latin).
I've found on spent adults the iridescent sides are worn to the stub from constant rubbing.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stridulation
Glass: Nikon M Plan 20x ELWD
Images: 187 @ 2μm
Also See: www.flickr.com/photos/79065556@N06/7963517722/in/photostr...
The crickets bow
@ 25x
Found at the base of the forewing on a male house cricket, this thick, ridged vein acts as a file. The upper surface of the forewing is hardened, like a scraper. When the male cricket wants to call for a mate, he lifts his forewings and pulls the file of one wing across the scraper of the other. The thin, papery portions of the wings vibrate, amplifying the sound. This method of producing sound is called stridulation (which means "to make a harsh sound" in Latin).
I've found on spent adults the iridescent sides are worn to the stub from constant rubbing.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stridulation
Glass: Nikon M Plan 20x ELWD
Images: 187 @ 2μm
Also See: www.flickr.com/photos/79065556@N06/7963517722/in/photostr...