01819nas a2200193   4500008004100000245009600041210006900137260001000206300001400216490000800230520124300238653001701481653001301498653001501511653001001526100002001536700002401556856004501580       2000                        eng d00aAcoustic preference functions and song variability in the Hawaiian cricket Laupala cerasina0 aAcoustic preference functions and song variability in the Hawaii  cMarch  a577–5840 v2673 a10.1098/rspb.2000.1040 Female preference functions for different sexual traits can differ significantly, from 'unimodal' to 'open ended'. Through the study of acoustic communication in anurans, several studies have reported an association between static (stereotyped) traits versus dynamic (variable) traits and preference function shape (unimodal versus open ended, respectively). Observing a similar pattern in a phylogenetically independent group would suggest that deterministic forces have caused a relationship between signal variability and preference function shape in acoustic signalling systems. We examined this phenomenon in crickets, another animal characterized by intersexual acoustic communication. We measured the within–male variability for three acoustic features of the male calling song in and the corresponding shape of the female preference function for each of these features. We offer support for the generalization that open–ended preference functions correspond to relatively dynamic courtship traits and unimodal preference functions correspond to relatively static courtship traits. We discuss the evolutionary significance of these findings in the context of the natural history of the species radiation.10abioacoustics10acrickets10aorthoptera10asongs1 aShaw, Kerry, L.1 aHerlihy, Daniel, P.  uhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2000.1040