stridulation Meaning, Definition & Usage

noun a shrill grating or chirping noise made by some insects by rubbing body parts together

The act of stridulating. Specifically: (Zoöl.) (a) The act of making shrill sounds or musical notes by rubbing together certain hard parts, as is done by the males of many insects, especially by Orthoptera, such as crickets, grasshoppers, and locusts. (b) The noise itself. ✍ The crickets stridulate by rubbing together the strong nervures of the fore wings. Many grasshoppers stridulate by rubbing the hind legs across strong nervures on the fore wings. The green grasshoppers and katydids stridulate by means of special organs at the base of the fore wings.