Guatemala - Cicada Mania

January 13, 2019

Cicada pennata (Distant, 1881)

Cicada pennata (Distant, 1881) is a cicada found in Guatamala.

Cicada pennata (Distant, 1881) was formerly known as Tettigia pennata.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cicadini
SubTribe: Cicadina
Genus: Cicada
Species: Cicada pennata (Distant, 1881)

The image says Tettigia pennata, but the newest name of this cicada is Cicada pennata.

Species description by W. L. Distant:

Head, pronotum, and mesonotum greenish. Head with the frontal marginal angles, a transverse streak on lateral margins, inner margin of eyes, and area of the ocelli black; ocelli red. Mesonotum with a central longitudinal suboblong spot, rounded posteriorly and angulated anteriorly, on each side of this a short oblique streak behind eyes, and a D-shaped spot near each lateral margin black. Mesonotum with four large, central, and somewhat irregular black-bordered obconical spots, a black spot on each lateral margin, and two small spots of the same colour in front of the basal cruciform elevation. Abdomen above dull testaceous, with the basal angles and anal appendage greenish, somewhat thickly clothed with white pile. Body beneath greenish; transverse striae to face, bases and apices of coxse, apex of rostrum, segmental incisures, and inner margins of anal appendage black. Legs greenish, apices of femora black, apices of tibiae and tarsi dull testaceous, tarsal claws black. Tegmina pale hyaline. Neuration of basal half greenish, remainder fuscous ; base of first ulnar area, transverse vein at base of second ulnar area, a central spot on the longitudinal vein enclosing third ulnar area, and transverse vein at base of eighth apical area, and claval margin black ; a prominent white opaque spot at base of first ulnar area. Anastomoses, and a submarginal row of spots situated on veins, pale fuscous. Wings pale hyaline; veins fuscous, with some of the discal ones greenish.

The face is globose, strongly and transversely striate, with a central longitudinal sulcation; rostrum reaching the posterior coxae; head small, with the eyes very globose, and much narrower than base of pronotum.

Long. 17 millim., exp. of tegm. 66 millim.

References:

The illustration comes from Biologia Centrali-Americana. Insecta. Rhynchota. Hemiptera-Homoptera. Vol. 1. By W. L. Distant F.E.S. and The Rev. Canon W. W. Fowler, F.L.S. (1881-1905). Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
Species name information comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).

Comments (0)

January 11, 2019

Quesada gigas (Olivier, 1790) aka Giant Cicada

Quesada gigas (Olivier, 1790) Is a cicada found in the United States (Texas), Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Tobago, Trinidad, and Venezuela. It is the largest cicada in these locations.

Quesada gigas from Brazil, Photo by Leonardo Milhomem.

See all Quesada gigas photos and information on cicadamania.com.

Song

Source: ©Insect Singers | Species: Q. gigas

Playlists contain multiple videos found on YouTube.

Name, Location and Description

Cicada Name: Quesada gigas (Olivier, 1790)
Short Name: Q. gigas
Common Name: Giant Cicada
Former Name: Quesada gigas was formerly known as Tympanoterpes gigas.
When: Always out somewhere in the Americas. Peak in July.
Where it is found: TX
Maps: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico [PDF]
Description: The second largest North American cicada. Black, green and brown camo patterns.
Eye Color: brown
Pronotal Collar Color: brown to green
Identification: Bug Guide
Subject Matter Expert website: Texas Entomology
Taxonomic Information: Integrated Taxonomic Information System
Song: Insect Singers

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Fidicinini
Genus: Quesada
Species: Quesada gigas (Olivier, 1790)

Quesada gigas (Olivier, 1790)
The image says Tympanoterpes gigas but its newest name is Quesada gigas.

Species description notes from Insect. Rhynchota.:

Stal treated this species as a synonym of T. grossa, Fabr. The type of the Fabrician species, however, is in the Banksian collection contained in the British Museum, and is very distinct, the opercula being large and rounded.

The figure given in the Encyclopedic Methodique is, like Stal’s, useless for any practical purpose. Among the habitats of this wide-ranging species is that given by Walker 2, ” West coast of America,” which, as before remarked in connexion with other species, seems clearly to refer to Central America. The forms inhabiting this region (of which a Guatemalan specimen is figured) appear to be somewhat smaller than more southern specimens, or do not exhibit the gigantic specimens which are frequently and commonly received from the southern portion of the Neotropical Region.

Mr. Gervase F. Mathew (Ent. Mo. Mag. xi. p. 175) gives some interesting details relating to this insect as observed at Tobago. As regards its powers of stridulation he writes of a ” tropical afternoon: ” — ” Suddenly, from right above, you hear one or two hoarse, monotonous cries something like the croak of a tree-frog, and, looking upwards, wonder what it can be. But wait a moment ; this is merely a signal ; for the next minute everywhere above and around you these croaks are repeated in rapid and increasing succession until they merge into a long shrill whistle almost exactly similar to the whistle of a first-rate locomotive ; this continues for nearly half a minute, and then abruptly terminates.” ” Presently similar cries will be heard in the far distance, as if in reply to those which have just died away overhead. The whistling pierces one’s ears to such a degree that its vibrations can be felt long after it has ceased.”

Mr. Mathew describes this species as frequenting trees growing in ravines where the soil is generally soft and damp, in which their larvae and pupae find no difficulty in burrowing. ” When the latter are full-grown and ready for their last transformation, they emerge from the ground and crawl about four or five feet up the trunk of a tree, when they firmly fix themselves to the bark by means of their powerfully hooked fore tibiae.” ” The flight of the mature Cicada is abrupt, rapid, and by no means graceful ; and it does not appear to have the power of controlling itself when on the wing ; for I have often seen it fly in an insane manner against the trunk of a tree, a branch, or any other object that might be in its line of flight; and when it has performed its journey without any accident, it alights abruptly and awkwardly. As a rule, however, it does not attempt to fly to any great distance at a time.”

Resources:

The Giant Cicada / Chicharra Grande page on the Texas Entomology websites is a very good resource, particularly in relation to the state of Texas.

References:

The illustration comes from Biologia Centrali-Americana. Insecta. Rhynchota. Hemiptera-Homoptera. Vol. 1. By W. L. Distant F.E.S. and The Rev. Canon W. W. Fowler, F.L.S. (1881-1905). Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
Species name information comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).
Full Binomial Names: ITIS.gov
Common names: BugGuide.net; The Songs of Insects by Lang Elliott and Wil Herschberger; personal memory.
Locations: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico by Allen F. Sanborn and Polly K. Phillips.
Descriptions, Colors: personal observations from specimens or photos from many sources. Descriptions are not perfect, but may be helpful.
Tribe information comes from: MARSHALL, DAVID C. et al.A molecular phylogeny of the cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) with a review of tribe and subfamily classification.Zootaxa, [S.l.], v. 4424, n. 1, p. 1—64, may 2018. ISSN 1175-5334. Available at: https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4424.1.1

Notes:

Some descriptions are based on aged specimens which have lost some or a lot of their color.

Comments (0)

January 10, 2019

Chrysolasia guatemalena (Distant, 1883)

Chrysolasia guatemalena (Distant, 1883) is a cicada found in Guatemala.

Special note: this cicada might be related to the Magiciada (17/13 year cicadas) cicadas found in the U.S.

Chrysolasia guatemalena was formerly known as Tibicen guatemalenus.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Lamotialnini
Genus: Chrysolasia
Species: Chrysolasia guatemalena (Distant, 1883)

Note from David Marshall in the comments: “This genus has been moved to the tribe Lamotialnini (see Marshall et al. 2018). Interestingly, that makes it the closest known relative of Magicicada in the Americas.”

The image says Tibicen guatemalenus, but its newest name is Chrysolasia guatemalena.

Species description by W. L. Distant:

Obscure castaneous, somewhat thickly covered with ochraceous pilosity. Area of the ocelli, a central fascia to pronotum (which is ampliated and produced on each side at anterior and posterior margins), some obscure and irregular spots on mesonotum with cruciform elevation at base, and abdomen above fuscous. Body beneath much paler and very densely pilose; head, sternum, and opercula ashy grey; abdomen pale ochraceous. Tegmina pale hyaline; costal membrane, basal area, and claval base pale castaneous; veins pale fuscous. Wings pale hyaline ; veins and suffusion at abdominal area pale fuscous.

Head, including outer margin of eyes, broader than pronotum; face with a broad central longitudinal sulcation and somewhat faintly transversely striate; rostrum not quite reaching posterior coxae; opercula reaching base of second abdominal segment, narrowest at base, with the outer margins truncate, widened and rounded posteriorly, but not quite meeting inwardly.

Long. 20 millim., exp. tegm. 57 millim.

References:

The illustration, location and description comes from Biologia Centrali-Americana. Insecta. Rhynchota. Hemiptera-Homoptera. Vol. 1. By W. L. Distant F.E.S. and The Rev. Canon W. W. Fowler, F.L.S. (1881-1905). Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
Species name information comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).

Comments (2)

January 3, 2019

Pacarina championi (Distant, 1881)

Pacarina championi (Distant, 1881) is a cicada found in Mexico, Guatemala, and Costa Rica.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Fidicinini
SubTribe: Guyalnina
Genus: Pacarina
Species: Pacarina championi (Distant, 1881)

Pacarina championi was formerly known as Proarna championi. Its name changed when it moved from the genus Proarna Stål, 1864 to the genus Pacarina Distant, 1905.

Pacarina championi (Distant, 1881)
The image says Proarna championi but its newest name is Pacarina championi.

Species description by W. L. Distant:

Body above dull testaceous, somewhat sparingly pilose. Head with the frontal margin, a transverse fascia in front of eyes, and area of the ocelli black. Pronotum with two central longitudinal fasciae, two oblique striae on each side, and inner lateral margin black. Mesonotum with two large obconical basal spots, bordered on each side by a larger obconical fascia, and a small transverse fascia on disk, preceded by two small rounded spots, black. Abdomen above somewhat thickly covered with white pile, and with the basal segmental margins fuscous. Body beneath paler; anterior submarginal fascia to head, central fascia and transverse ridges to face, and apex of rostrum black. Legs unicolorous, apices of tibiae and tarsi testaceous.

Tegmina pale hyaline; veins ochraceous, darker towards apex; base and apex of first apical area, and transverse veins at base of second and third apical areas, broadly fuscous; base of first ulnar area thickened, opaque, and fuscous. Wings pale hyaline, veins ochraceous.

The face is globose, strongly transversely striated, but not sulcated longitudinally; and in width, it equals its distance from outer margin of eyes. The opercula are broad, not passing base of first abdominal segment, somewhat narrowed and almost meeting interiorly. (In the specimen figured the opercula are pale and unicolorous; in other specimens, they are inwardly and broadly margined with black.)

Long. 14 to 16 millim., exp. tegm. 45 to 52 millim.

References:

The illustration comes from Biologia Centrali-Americana. Insecta. Rhynchota. Hemiptera-Homoptera. Vol. 1. By W. L. Distant F.E.S. and The Rev. Canon W. W. Fowler, F.L.S. (1881-1905). Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
Species name information comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).

Comments (1)