Sensory basis caused by different environments or peripheral receptors determine the efficiency of sexual signals,
leading ultimately to permeating isolation mechanisms even if sexual selection is absent. the aim of the proposed
study is to enhance our understanding of the role of sensory biology in evolutionary processes. We will investigate
auditory structure, function and phylogeny in a family of closely related, primitive grasshoppers from contrasting
ecological environments to identify concordances between sensory change and speciation. Sensory capacity is
known to exert profound effects on social interactions within and between species. We propose to assess the origin,
distribution and effect of sensory capacity by mapping the occurrence of a unique and primitive auditory organ into
an independently derived molecular phylogeny. Correlation with geographic distribution, food specificity, and
sexual signals should identify whether these are critical variables involved in sexual selection and speciation, or
whether sensory bias played a decisive role in speciation within this taxon.