Cicada Mania

Dedicated to cicadas, the most amazing insects in the world.

February 29, 2020

Okanagana rimosa photo by Natasha from 2005

Filed under: Okanagana — Tags: — Dan @ 8:18 am

Okanagana rimosa photo by Natasha from 2005.

Okanagana rimosa photo by Natasha from 2005.

June 29, 2017

Okanagana Cicadas

Filed under: Okanagana | Proto-periodical — Dan @ 7:11 pm

Okanagana cicadas
Photo credit: left, O. rimosa by Natasha; right, O. bella by Matt Berger.

Okanagana is a genus of cicadas that share their name with the Okanagan Lake, Valley & County areas of British Columbia, Canada. As you might guess, Okanagana are common in Canada. It is likely that the genus was named in tribute to the Okanagan people.

West of the Mississippi, O. synodica synodica & O. bella are the most common species in terms of the number of states and providences they are found. O. canadensis & O. rimosa are the most common species east of the Mississippi.

Lifespans and Lifecycles:

Okanagana rimosa have a lifespan of 9 years. Okanagana synodica have a lifespan of possibly 17 to 19 years! (see Campbell et al. 10.1073/pnas.1421386112).

Okanagana rimosa also appear to be proto-periodical (source) meaning they are abundant in some years, and scarce, but not absent in others.

“Soper et al (112) showed experimentally that Okanagana rimosa had a life
cycle of 9 years, and that in the field during a 9-year period (1962 to
1970) it was extremely abundant in 4 years and scarce or absent in the
other 5. Heath (32) also studied cicadas of the genus Okanagana and
found several species that appear to be protoperiodical.”

I’m not sure, but I suppose other species of Okanagana have proto-periodical lifecycles as well. This would explain why people see Okanagana in great numbers one year, and very few in previous years.

Okanagana adult photographed by Les Daniels

Okanagana adult photographed by Les Daniels

Identification:

Okanagana are typically around between June and July, depending on the species and latitude.

Okanagana are often black, with white, beige or orange highlights on their wings and body. The black color of their exoskeletons helps them absorb warmth from the sun.

Look for four symmetrical markings on their mesonotum (back). The image at the beginning the the article highlights these markings.

One Okanagana that has atypical coloration is the O. viridis which is green. This outlier is one of the few species found in southern states.

April 28, 2016

Okanagana noveboracensis (Emmons, 1854)

Filed under: Okanagana — Tags: — Dan @ 9:02 pm

Okanagana noveboracensis (Emmons, 1854)

April 24, 2016

Okanagana sugdeni Davis, 1938

Filed under: Okanagana | Tibicinini | United States | William T. Davis — Tags: — Dan @ 8:19 pm

Okanagana sugdeni Davis, 1938.

Name, Location and Description

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Tibicinini
Subtribe: Tibicinina
Genera: Okanagana
Species: Okanagana sugdeni Davis, 1938

List of sources

  1. Full Binomial Names: ITIS.gov
  2. Common names: BugGuide.net; The Songs of Insects by Lang Elliott and Wil Herschberger; personal memory.
  3. Locations: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico by Allen F. Sanborn and Polly K. Phillips.
  4. Descriptions, Colors: personal observations from specimens or photos from many sources. Descriptions are not perfect, but may be helpful.

Notes:

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

Okanagana yakimaensis Davis, 1939

Filed under: Okanagana | Tibicinini | United States | William T. Davis — Tags: — Dan @ 2:41 am

Okanagana yakimaensis Davis, 1939.

Name, Location and Description

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Tibicinini
Subtribe: Tibicinina
Genera: Okanagana
Species: Okanagana yakimaensis Davis, 1939

List of sources

  1. Full Binomial Names: ITIS.gov
  2. Common names: BugGuide.net; The Songs of Insects by Lang Elliott and Wil Herschberger; personal memory.
  3. Locations: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico by Allen F. Sanborn and Polly K. Phillips.
  4. Descriptions, Colors: personal observations from specimens or photos from many sources. Descriptions are not perfect, but may be helpful.

Notes:

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

Okanagana wymorei Davis, 1935

Filed under: Okanagana | Tibicinini | United States | William T. Davis — Tags: — Dan @ 2:40 am

Okanagana wymorei Davis, 1935

Name, Location and Description

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Tibicinini
Subtribe: Tibicinina
Genera: Okanagana
Species: Okanagana wymorei Davis, 1935

List of sources

  1. Full Binomial Names: ITIS.gov
  2. Common names: BugGuide.net; The Songs of Insects by Lang Elliott and Wil Herschberger; personal memory.
  3. Locations: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico by Allen F. Sanborn and Polly K. Phillips.
  4. Descriptions, Colors: personal observations from specimens or photos from many sources. Descriptions are not perfect, but may be helpful.

Notes:

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

Okanagana vocalis Bliven, 1964

Filed under: Okanagana | Tibicinini | United States — Tags: — Dan @ 2:34 am

Okanagana vocalis Bliven, 1964

Name, Location and Description

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Tibicinini
Subtribe: Tibicinina
Genera: Okanagana
Species: Okanagana vocalis Bliven, 1964

List of sources

  1. Full Binomial Names: ITIS.gov
  2. Common names: BugGuide.net; The Songs of Insects by Lang Elliott and Wil Herschberger; personal memory.
  3. Locations: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico by Allen F. Sanborn and Polly K. Phillips.
  4. Descriptions, Colors: personal observations from specimens or photos from many sources. Descriptions are not perfect, but may be helpful.

Notes:

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

Okanagana villosa Davis, 1941

Filed under: Okanagana | Tibicinini | United States | William T. Davis — Tags: — Dan @ 2:32 am

Okanagana villosa Davis, 1941.

Name, Location and Description

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Tibicinini
Subtribe: Tibicinina
Genera: Okanagana
Species: Okanagana villosa Davis, 1941.

List of sources

  1. Full Binomial Names: ITIS.gov
  2. Common names: BugGuide.net; The Songs of Insects by Lang Elliott and Wil Herschberger; personal memory.
  3. Locations: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico by Allen F. Sanborn and Polly K. Phillips.
  4. Descriptions, Colors: personal observations from specimens or photos from many sources. Descriptions are not perfect, but may be helpful.

Notes:

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

Okanagana venusta Davis, 1935

Filed under: Okanagana | Tibicinini | United States | William T. Davis — Tags: — Dan @ 2:26 am

Okanagana venusta Davis, 1935.

Name, Location and Description

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Tibicinini
Subtribe: Tibicinina
Genera: Okanagana
Species: Okanagana venusta Davis, 1935

List of sources

  1. Full Binomial Names: ITIS.gov
  2. Common names: BugGuide.net; The Songs of Insects by Lang Elliott and Wil Herschberger; personal memory.
  3. Locations: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico by Allen F. Sanborn and Polly K. Phillips.
  4. Descriptions, Colors: personal observations from specimens or photos from many sources. Descriptions are not perfect, but may be helpful.

Notes:

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

Okanagana vandykei Van Duzee, 1915

Filed under: Edward P. Van Duzee | Okanagana | Tibicinini | United States — Tags: — Dan @ 2:22 am

Name, Location and Description

From Davis’ key to Okanagana1:

A. Male uncus not hooked at extremity, sometimes sinuate.

B. Expanse of fore wings more than 50 mm.

C. Base of fore and hind wings orange red more or less variegated with black.

DD. Outer edge of front wing of a more continuous curve. Medium sized species, except schaefferi, which is large.

E. Legs almost entirely orange or greenish in color. Abdomen pale beneath including the rather long valve.

Pronotum mostly pale with a black median vitta gemmate anteriorly, the lateral oblique groves more or less broadly black. Two broad pale marks extending from the anterior extremities of the mesonotal X; a rather dull-colored species with the uncus deeply cleft at extremity. Expands about 70 mm.

Similar to: Okanagana lurida Davis, 1919, Okanagana ornata Van Duzee, 1915 and Okanagana napa Davis, 1919.

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Tibicinini
Subtribe: Tibicinina
Genera: Okanagana
Species: Okanagana vandykei Van Duzee, 1915

List of sources

  1. Davis, William T. Cicadas of the genera Okanagana, Tibicinoides and Okanagodes, with descriptions of several new species. Journal of the New York Entomological Society. v27. 179-223. 1919. Link.
  2. Full Binomial Names: ITIS.gov
  3. Common names: BugGuide.net; The Songs of Insects by Lang Elliott and Wil Herschberger; personal memory.
  4. Locations: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico by Allen F. Sanborn and Polly K. Phillips.
  5. Descriptions, Colors: personal observations from specimens or photos from many sources. Descriptions are not perfect, but may be helpful.

Notes:

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

« Newer PostsMore »

Cicada T-shirts