Megatibicen pronotalis pronotalis Davis, 1938
Image
Photo credit: by Dan Mozgai (Bill Reynolds collection)
Song type: Call
Source: ©Insect Singers | Species: M. pronotalis pronotalis
Video Playlist
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Name, Location and Description
- Cicada Name: Megatibicen pronotalis pronotalis Davis, 1938
- Short Name: M. pronotalis pronotalis
- Synonym/Former Name: Tibicen pronotalis pronotalis
- When: July-September. Peaks in August.
- Where it is found: IA, MO, NE, ND, OK, SD
- Maps: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico [PDF]
- Description: Tan or pea green, brown, black, and sometimes white pruinose. Wing color matches dominant color of body. Often features a black marking on pronotum.
- Eye Color: gray
- Pronotal Collar Color: green or brown
- Identification: Bug Guide
- Identification: iNaturalist
- Taxonomic Information: Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- Song: Insect Singers
Classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
Subtribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Megatibicen
Species: Megatibicen pronotalis pronotalis Davis, 1938
Species: Megatibicen pronotalis walkeri Metcalf, 1955 aka Walker’s Cicada
List of sources
- 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.
Notes:
- Some descriptions are based on aged specimens which have lost some or a lot of their color.
I found a Megatibicen Pronotalis ssp. Pronotalis yesterday while it was calling on a willow tree. The key identifying feature was the large, black marking on the pronotum. The range may need to be updated. A female of the same SPECIES was found nearby (a few inches from) the calling M. Pronotalis ssp. Pronotalis. She was lacking the black marking on the pronotum, so I assume that she was an M. Pronotalis ssp. Walkeri, the typical subspecies in my area. Both cicadas were found in Bossier parish, Louisiana.