Abstract
Crickets were the first study subjects at the dawn of bioacoustics, yet, almost 100 years later, freely available and robust analysis tools and protocols are still needed.
We introduce Rthoptera, a new open-source R package for the analysis of insect acoustic signals, offering accurate graphics and standardised temporal and spectral measurements through a streamlined workflow. Our package delivers results in a fraction of the time typically required by multi-software methods. Most of the functions have interactive versions (Shiny applications), facilitating their adoption by researchers with any level of experience.
New acoustic metrics are introduced: Spectral Excursion, Pattern Complexity Index, Temporal Excursion, Dynamic Excursion, and Broadband Activity Index.
Accompanied by an appropriate recording protocol, our tool can become the backbone of a standard analysis protocol for comparative insect bioacoustics.
Source code and supplemental materials are accessible through Github: https://github.com/naturewaves.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
