Here’s a video of a Megatibicen auletes cicada singing at dusk in Brendan T Byrne State Park in New Jersey on July 15th, 2021.
March 27, 2022
July 15, 2021
Hieroglyphic cicada locations in New Jersey
Hieroglyphic cicadas (Neocicada hieroglyphica aka Hieroglyphic Cicada) are present in most of southern New Jersey, particularly the Pine Barrens area which has sandy soil (pure sand in a lot of places) and many pine and oak trees. This area is historically prone to fires because of the dry sandy soil and sappy pines. The fact that at least some Hieroglyphic cicadas appear every year and spend many years underground probably helps them circumvent minor fires.
Here’s a photo of a Hieroglyphic and Northern Dusk-Singing Cicada exuvia (shed skin). Quite a difference! Brendan T. Byrne State Forest.
Some Locations:
- Brendan T. Byrne State Forest. Website. This is the best location I’ve found. Pine & oak forests with huckleberry undergrowth. Sandy soil. A good place to record and study their calls, as there is minimal interference from the general public. Exuvia of Hieroglyphic, Northern Dusk-Singing Cicada, and Neotibicen cicadas were easily found. Hieroglyphic Cicada choruses were very loud in the middle of the month (7/10-15), but by 7/31 very few were audible — look for them in late June, or early July.
- 1900 NJ-70, Manchester Township, NJ. This is a strip mall with a good pizza restaurant (Pop’s), a bar, and a breakfast restaurant. The mall is surrounded by pines and oaks and is a good place for hearing Hieroglyphic and Northern Dusk-Singing Cicadas, as well as some Neotibicen.
- 1936 Wildland Firefighter Memorial. 151-195 Greenbush Rd. Little Egg Harbor Twp, NJ. An interesting park that features the ruins of some buildings, and the typical combination of sandy soil, pine, oak, and huckleberry. Hieroglyphic cicadas were heard calling on pine trees. I believe this location is within Bass River State Forest.
- Batso Village. Website. 31 Batsto Rd, Hammonton, NJ 08037. Batso Village is a large recreation of the Batso Village which produced iron and glass in the 18th century. It offers 3 or 4 trails that feature groves of pine trees inhabited by Hieroglyphic cicadas.
- Franklin Parker Preserve. Website. Chatsworth Lake Entrance, 1450 County Rd 532, Chatsworth, NJ 08019. Some blackjack oak and sassafrass, but the forest is mostly pine. Hieroglphic cicadas are present and audible. The exuvia of small Neotibicen were present, and either N. canicularis or N. davisi are audible (I wouldn’t tell which).
All these areas are heavily infested with ticks, deer flies, and in some cases, mosquitos. Take precaution.
April 18, 2020
Davis’ Key to Species of the Genus Tibicen found in the Southeastern United States
Davis provided a key of cicadas that belong to the then genus Tibicen in his 1918 article Mississippi Cicadas, with a Key to the Species of the Southeastern United States from volume 26 of the Journal of The New York Entomological Society. Download it from archive.org. This guide works for the Northeast and Midwest as well.
Since 1918, genus and some species names have changed, so I’m going to present the key here, with highlighted notes on the updated names + images (when I have them). I’ll try to replicate the formatting of the original document as best I can.
Here goes…
Key to Species of the Genus Tibicen found in the Southeastern United States [works for most states east of the Rocky Mountains].
Note: the cicadas in the key are now organized in three genera: Neotibicen (A B), Megatibicen (A BB), and Diceroprocta (AA).
A. Large, heavy-bodied species; head broad, uncus [male genitals] simple, and first cross vein in the fore wings starting from radius 3 far back or about one-third distant from base of the first marginal cell.
B. Uncus longer than broad. Black species with green or greenish markings and black area on the central part of the abdomen beneath, except in sayi [sayi = Neotibicen tibicen tibicen], and new variety of davisi [new variety of davisi = Neotibicen davisi harnedi].
Note: this group of cicadas (B) are now organized under the genus Neotibicen, not Tibicen.
C. Hind margin of pronotum or collar, green or greenish.
A narrow irregular area of black on the under side of the abdomen; opercula short and broad, and usually in the males an attenuated, pruinose [frosty white] stripe each side on the dorsum of segment three … pruinosa (Say). [pruinosa = Neotibicen pruinosus pruinosus].
Dorsum of abdomen with the hind margin of the segments more or less brown and generally but a trace of pruinose stripe each side on segment three … pruinosa var. winnemanna (Davis) [pruinosa var. winnemanna = Neotibicen winnemanna].
[Generally speaking, east of the Appalachian mountains, you’ll find Neotibicen winnemanna, and west, it’s Neotibicen pruinosus.]
Dorsum of abdomen shining black with a broad pruinose mark each side on segment three; blackened area on under side of abdomen more in the nature of an even stripe … pruinosa var latifasciata (Davis) [pruinosa var. latifasciata = Neotibicen latifasciatus].
A longitudinal band of black on the under side of the abdomen, the opercula more lobate, and the margin of the front wings suddenly bent near the middle … linnei (Smith & Grossbeck) [linnei = Neotibicen linnei].
A definite longitudinal band of black on the under side of the abdomen; head with the front rather prominent. Not a large species … canicularis (Harris) [canicularis = Neotibicen canicularis].
An irregular band of black on the under side of the abdomen, head rounded in front; a rather small species … davisi (Smith & Grossbeck) [davisi = Neotibicen davisi davisi].
Abdomen greenish centrally on under side, blackened area wanting, marginal cells of fore wings clouded … davisi var. harnedi new variety [davisi var. harnedi = Neotibicen davisi harnedi].
CC. Hind margin of pronotum or collar black or nearly so (except in sayi var. australis).
D. Central area of the abdomen beneath black.
Opercula long and with the legs usually somewhat chest- nut colored ; the uncus when seen in profile forked, resembling the open mouth of a snake … similaris (Smith & Grossbeck) [similaris = Neotibicen similaris similaris].
Opercula much shorter, more rounded, and the black area on the under side of the abdomen in the nature of an even stripe. Uncus not forked … lyricen (De Geer) [lyricen = Neotibicen lyricen lyricen].
Blacker than typical lyricen, lacking the considerable amount of fulvous markings on the pronotum and mesonotum. A fulvous somewhat anchor-shaped mark centrally on the pronotum … lyricen var. engelhardti (Davis) [lyricen var. engelhardti = Neotibicen lyricen engelhardti].
DD. Central area of the abdomen not black beneath, often pruinose, as well as the long opercula.
Collar black, often with a greenish spot each side near the outer angles. … sayi (Smith & Grossbeck) [sayi = Neotibicen tibicen tibicen].
Collar all green or nearly so, as well as the pronotum and mesonotum … sayi var. australis (Davis) [sayi = Neotibicen tibicen australis].
BB. The uncus is broad at the base, triangular in shape, and generally about as broad as long. Opercula broad and rounded at the extremities no definite black area on the central part of the abdomen beneath, usually unicolorus.
Note: this group of cicadas (BB) are now organized under the genus Megatibicen, not Tibicen.
E. Wings long and narrow, collar 2 mm. or less in breadth at central portions ; dorsum of abdomen black or nearly so.
Basal cell of fore wings rusty in color, anal cells (membranes) of both pair of wings gray; usually expands 110 mm. or more … resonans (Walker) [resonans = Megatibicen resonans].
Basal cell of fore wings often black or nearly so, anal cells of both pair of wings yellowish. Expands about 100 mm … figurata (Walker) [figurata = Megatibicen figuratus].
EE. Wings broad, hind margin of the pronotum or collar green or greenish and more than 2 mm. broad.
F. Anal cells or membranes at base of fore and hind wings gray.
Dorsal segments of the abdomen not margined with brown ; in fresh specimens the basal segments pruinose, also the terminal segments, leaving the four middle segments black. A large species expanding over 110 mm. … auletes (Germar) [auletes = Megatibicen auletes].
FF. Anal cells or membranes at base of fore and hind wings light orange, two prominent marks on the mesonotum resembling the Hebrew letter resh inverted.
Fore wings with the first and second cross veins clouded, and the dorsum of the abdomen brownish or brownish black … resh (Haldeman) [resh = Megatibicen resh].
Fore wings with the first and second cross veins but faintly or not at all clouded and the abdominal segments margined posteriorly with brown. In fresh specimens there is usually a median row of white spots on the dorsum of the abdomen … marginalis (Walker) [marginalis = Megatibicen pronotalis walkeri].
AA. Small species; wings starting from about the middle of the first marginal cell.
Note: this group of cicadas (AA) are now organized under the genus Diceroprocta, not Tibicen.
G. First and second cross veins of fore wings clouded.
Expanse of wings about 90 mm … biconica (Walker) [biconica = Diceroprocta biconica].
Expanse of wings about 60 mm … olympusa (Walker) [olympusa = Diceroprocta olympusa].
GG. First and second cross veins of fore wings not clouded, wings clear throughout and expanding about 70 mm.
Head rather large, front rounded, collar greenish or yellowish and contrasted in color rather sharply with the brown and black of pronotum and mesonotum … viridifascia (Walker) [viridifascia = Diceroprocta viridifascia].
Head proportionately smaller than in the last ; front more pro- truding;- collar not so contrastingly colored and fore wings narrower … vitripennis (Say) [vitripennis = Diceroprocta vitripennis].
and that’s all folks…
April 13, 2020
Megatibicen pronotalis pronotalis Davis, 1938
Megatibicen pronotalis pronotalis Davis, 1938
Image
Photo credit: by Dan Mozgai (Bill Reynolds collection)
Song type: Call
Source: ©Insect Singers | Species: M. pronotalis pronotalis
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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.
April 4, 2020
Megatibicen resonans (Walker, 1850) aka Southern Resonant Cicada
Megatibicen resonans (Walker, 1850) aka Great Pine Barrens Cicada.
Photo by Joe Green.
⢠All Megatibicen resonans images & information on cicadamania.com.
Song type: Call
Source: ©Insect Singers | Species: M. resonans
Song type: Call
Source: ©Joe Green | Species: M. resonans
Video
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Name, Location and Description
- Cicada Name: Megatibicen resonans (Walker, 1850)
- Short Name: M. resonans
- Common Name: Southern Resonant, Great Pine Barrens Cicada
- Synonym/Former Name: Tibicen resonans
- When: June-October. Peaks in August.
- Where it is found: AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA
- Maps: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico [PDF]
- Description: Brown, black & white pruinosity distinctively present within curves of the cruciform elevation.
- Eye Color: brown
- Pronotal Collar Color: brown
- Identification: Bug Guide
- Identification: Bill Reynolds on iNaturalist
- Identification: iNaturalist
- Subject Matter Expert website: Cicada Central
- Taxonomic Information: Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- Song: Insect Singers
Key to Species by Wm. T. Davis from MISSISSIPPI CICADAS, WITH A KEY TO THE SPECIES OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES.1
A. Large, heavy bodied species ; head broad, uncus simple, and first cross vein in the fore wings starting from radius 3 far back, or about one third distant from base of first marginal cell.
BB. Uncus broad at the base, triangular in shape and generally about as broad as long. Opercula broad and rounded at the extremities no definite black area on the central part of the abdomen beneath, usually unicolorus.
E. Wings long and narrow, collar 2 mm. or less in breadth at central portions ; dorsum of abdomen black or nearly so.
Basal cell of fore wings rusty in color, anal cells (membranes) of both pair of wings gray; usually expands 110 mm. or more resonans (Walker).
Classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
Subtribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Megatibicen
Species: Megatibicen resonans (Walker, 1850)
List of sources
- Davis, W.T. 1918. MISSISSIPPI CICADAS, WITH A KEY TO THE SPECIES OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, Vol. XXVI, Nos. 3-4. Read it on archive.org.
- 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.
Megatibicen resh (Haldeman, 1852) aka Resh Cicada
Megatibicen resh (Haldeman, 1852) aka Resh Cicada.
⢠All Megatibicen resh images & information on cicadamania.com.
Song type: Call
Source: ©Insect Singers | Species: M. resh
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Name, Location and Description
- Cicada Name: Megatibicen resh (Haldeman, 1852)
- Short Name: M. resh
- Common Name: Resh Cicada
- Synonym/Former Name: Tibicen resh
- When: May-October. Peaks in August.
- Where it is found: AR, KS, LA, MS, NE, OK, SC, TN, TX
- Maps: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico [PDF]
- Description: Black, green and brown camo pattern. White pruinosis. Resh Hebrew character pattern on mesonotum.
- Eye Color: varies
- Pronotal Collar Color: olive
- Identification: Bug Guide
- Identification: iNaturalist
- Bill Reynolds: Bill Reynolds on iNaturalist
- Taxonomic Information: Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- Song: Insect Singers
Resh Cicadas are named for the markings on their back (pronotum) that resemble the Hebrew letter Resh.
Key to Species by Wm. T. Davis from MISSISSIPPI CICADAS, WITH A KEY TO THE SPECIES OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES.1
A. Large, heavy bodied species ; head broad, uncus simple, and first cross vein in the fore wings starting from radius 3 far back, or about one third distant from base of first marginal cell.
BB. Uncus broad at the base, triangular in shape and generally about as broad as long. Opercula broad and rounded at the extremities no definite black area on the central part of the abdomen beneath, usually unicolorus.
EE. Wings broad, hind margin of the pronotum or collar green or greenish and more than 2 mm. broad.
FF. Anal cells or membranes at base of fore and hind wings light orange, two prominent marks on the mesonotum resembling the Hebrew letter resh inverted.
Fore wings with the first and second cross veins clouded, and the dorsum of the abdomen brownish or brownish black resh (Haldeman).
Teneral (soft) recently molted M. resh
Classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
Subtribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Megatibicen
Species: Megatibicen resh (Haldeman, 1852)
List of sources
- Davis, W.T. 1918. MISSISSIPPI CICADAS, WITH A KEY TO THE SPECIES OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, Vol. XXVI, Nos. 3-4. Read it on archive.org.
- 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.
Megatibicen pronotalis walkeri Metcalf, 1955 aka Walker’s Cicada
Megatibicen pronotalis walkeri Metcalf, 1955 aka Walker’s Cicada.
Photo by Roy Troutman in Batavia, Ohio.
⢠All Megatibicen pronotalis images and info on cicadamania.com.
There’s two sub-species of Megatibicen pronotalis: Megatibicen pronotalis pronotalis Davis — found in IA, MO, NE, ND, OK, SD — and Megatibicen pronotalis walkeri Metcalf — found in AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, NC, ND, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, VA, WV, WI, and WY.
Song type: Call
Source: ©Insect Singers | Species: M. pronotalis walkeri
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Playlists contain multiple videos found on YouTube.
Name, Location and Description
- Cicada Name: Megatibicen pronotalis walkeri Metcalf, 1955
- Short Name: M. pronotalis walkeri
- Common Name: Walker’s Cicada
- Synonym/Former Name: Tibicen marginalis, Tibicen pronotalis walkeri
- When: August-October. Peaks in August.
- Where it is found: AL, AR, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, NC, ND, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, VA, WV, WI, WY
- 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. Typically lacks a black marking on its pronotum.
- Eye Color: gray
- Pronotal Collar Color: green or brown
- Identification: Bug Guide
- Identification: Bill Reynolds on iNaturalist
- Identification: iNaturalist
- Subject Matter Expert website: Cicada Central
- Taxonomic Information: Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- Song: Insect Singers
Key to Species by Wm. T. Davis from MISSISSIPPI CICADAS, WITH A KEY TO THE SPECIES OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES.1
A. Large, heavy bodied species ; head broad, uncus simple, and first cross vein in the fore wings starting from radius 3 far back, or about one third distant from base of first marginal cell.
BB. Uncus broad at the base, triangular in shape and generally about as broad as long. Opercula broad and rounded at the extremities no definite black area on the central part of the abdomen beneath, usually unicolorus.
EE. Wings broad, hind margin of the pronotum or collar green or greenish and more than 2 mm. broad.
FF. Anal cells or membranes at base of fore and hind wings light orange, two prominent marks on the mesonotum resembling the Hebrew letter resh inverted.
Fore wings with the first and second cross veins but faintly or not at all clouded and the abdominal segments margined posteriorly with brown. In fresh specimens there is usually a median row of white spots on the dorsum of the abdomen, .marginalis (Walker).
A teneral (soft) and sclerotized (hard) Megatibicen pronotalis walkeri
Photo by Paul Krombholz.
Classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
Subtribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Megatibicen
Species: Megatibicen pronotalis
Sub-species: Megatibicen pronotalis walkeri Metcalf, 1955
Sub-species: Megatibicen pronotalis pronotalis Davis, 1938
List of sources
- Davis, W.T. 1918. MISSISSIPPI CICADAS, WITH A KEY TO THE SPECIES OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, Vol. XXVI, Nos. 3-4. Read it on archive.org.
- 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.
Megatibicen figuratus (Walker, 1858) aka Fall Southeastern Dusk-singing Cicada
Megatibicen figuratus (Walker, 1858) aka Fall Southeastern Dusk-singing Cicada.
Photo by Paul by Paul Krombholz.
⢠All Megatibicen figuratus images and information on cicadamania.com.
Song type: Call
Source: ©Insect Singers | Species: M. figuratus.
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Name, Location and Description
- Cicada Name: Megatibicen figuratus (Walker, 1858)
- Short Name: M. figuratus
- Common Name: Fall Southeastern Dusk-singing Cicada
- Synonym/Former Name: Tibicen figuratus, Tibicen figurata
- When: August-October. Peaks in September.
- Where it is found: AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA
- Maps: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico [PDF]
- Description: Black and browns. White pruinose.
- Eye Color: brown
- Pronotal Collar Color: brown
- Identification: Bug Guide
- Identification: iNaturalist
- Taxonomic Information: Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- Song: Insect Singers
A description from NOTES ON CICADAS FROM THE UNITED STATES WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF SEVERAL
NEW SPECIES by Wm T. Davis
Cicada figurata Walker.
This species was described [by Walker] in 1858 in List of the Specimens of Homopterous Insects in the collection of the British Museum, Supplement, p. 19. Unfortunately no locality was given. The description in part is as follows: ” Black, mostly tawny beneath. Head with a large tawny spot on each side in front between the eyes. . . . Pro- thorax reddish, black in front and behind, with a double tawny stripe; border tawny, with a black streak on each side. Mesothorax with four oblique tawny stripes; the middle pair recurved inward; the lateral pair enclosed at each of their tips by a lateral tawny streak; sides and hind ridges tawny. Legs tawny. Wings vitreous. Fore wings narrow, much acuminated testaceous at the base, and with a testaceous streak along the sixth discoidal areolet ; primitive areolet black; veins piceous; costa testaceous to the tip of the front areolet; first and second transverse veins slightly curved, clouded with black.
Song and morphological descriptions by Wm. T. Davis from MISSISSIPPI CICADAS, WITH A KEY TO THE SPECIES OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES2
A. Large, heavy bodied species ; head broad, uncus simple, and first cross vein in the fore wings starting from radius 3 far back, or about one third distant from base of first marginal cell.
BB. Uncus broad at the base, triangular in shape and generally about as broad as long. Opercula broad and rounded at the extremities; no definite black area on the central part of the abdomen beneath, usually unicolorus.
E. Wings long and narrow, collar 2 mm. or less in breadth at central portions; dorsum of abdomen black or nearly so.
Basal cell of fore wings often black or nearly so, anal cells of both pair of wings yellowish. Expands about 100 mm figurata (Walker)
A teneral (soft) and sclerotized (hard) M. figuratus
Classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
Subtribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Megatibicen
Species: Megatibicen figuratus (Walker, 1858)
List of sources
- Davis, W.T. 1916. NOTES ON CICADAS FROM THE UNITED STATES WITH DESCRIPTIONS OF SEVERAL
NEW SPECIES. Journal of the New York Entomological Society. Vol. XXlV, No. I. - Davis, W.T. 1919. MISSISSIPPI CICADAS, WITH A KEY TO THE SPECIES OF THE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, Vol. XXVI, Nos. 3-4. Read on archive.org.
- 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.
Megatibicen dorsatus (Say, 1825) aka Giant Grassland Cicada
Megatibicen dorsatus (Say, 1825) aka Giant Grassland Cicada aka Bush Cicada.
Fully sclerotized M. dorsatus from Bill Reynolds’ collection.
Teneral M. dorsatus by Greg Holmes.
⢠All Megatibicen dorsatus images & information on cicadamania.com.
Song type: Call
Source: ©Insect Singers | Species: M. dorsatus
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Name, Location and Description
- Cicada Name: Megatibicen dorsatus (Say, 1825)
- Short Name: M. dorsatus
- Common Name: Bush Cicada or Grand Western or Giant Grassland Cicada
- Synonym/Former Name: Tibicen dorsatus
- When: July-September. Peaks in August.
- Where it is found: AR, CO, ID, IL, IA, KS, MO, MT, NE, NM, OK, SD, TX, WY
- Maps: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico [PDF]
- Description: Rust/orange, black & white pruinosity, which forms distinct markings, such as a line of white dots down the dorsal side of the abdomen. Sounds like N. tremulus. Has a call that sounds like a rapid series of clicks.
- Eye Color: beige to brown
- Pronotal Collar Color: light orange
- Identification: Bug Guide
- Identification: iNaturalist
- Subject Matter Expert website: Annual Cicadas of Arkansas
- Image: Insect Images
- Taxonomic Information: Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- Song: Song
Habitat notes from ANNOTATED LIST OF COLORADO CICADAS by Wm T. Davis 1
Dr. Raymond H. Beamer, in an account of his collecting trip in Kansas in 1916, writes that dorsata was the most widely spread and abundant species taken. It was commonly found on low shrubs or weeds and grass, often on barren hill tops.
Classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
Subtribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Megatibicen
Species: Megatibicen dorsatus (Say, 1825)
List of sources
- Davis, W.T. 1921. ANNOTATED LIST OF COLORADO CICADAS. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, Vol. XXIX, No. I.
- 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.
Photos of teneral Megatibicen dorsatus by Greg Holmes
Megatibicen dorsatus is arguably the most beautiful cicada in the United States. Even it its teneral (meaning soft) form right after molting, in is visually impressive.
These three photos were taken by Greg Holmes of a Megatibicen dorsatus in its post-molting, teneral state.