Scaphura elegans (Serville, 1838)

Fig. 20E, F; 22H

Distribution: Argentina: Buenos Aires, Mendoza, Rio Negro; Brazil: Paraná; Uruguai: Montevideo.

New record for Brazil and for the Paraná State.

Comments: This is the first record of the species for Brazil. The collected specimens of S. elegans present a considerable variation regarding the white coloration that appears on the lateral lobes of the pronotum as well as regarding the green or white stain on the middle of the fore femur.

Bioacoustics (Fig. 21 G–I): The stridulation is produced during the day and twilight hours. Males stridulate continually and females respond in a duet behaviour. The echemes are formed by 18 to 22 syllables, emitted in a gradual and subtle decrescendo of intensity. The females respond to males very quickly (less than ca. 0.3 seconds), with echemes formed by six to ten syllables (the intermediate syllables with higher amplitude than the others). The sound produced by females is not described here.

Dominant frequency: 11.8 ± 0.8 kHz.

Bandwidth: 6.4 ± 5.5 kHz.

Duration: Syllable: 0.007 ± 0.002 s; Echeme: 0.47 ± 0.2 s

Mute interval: Syllable: 0.0003 ± 0.00006 s; Echeme: 5.14 ± 1.16 s.