Category: W. L. Distant

Categories
Okanagana Tibicinini U.S.A. W. L. Distant

Okanagana pallidula Davis, 1917

Okanagana pallidula Davis, 1917

Name, Location and Description

From Davis’ key to Okanagana1:

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

BB. Stouter bodied species, the fore and hind wings variegated with orange and black at the base.

C. Third marginal cell more than one half as long as second ulnar area adjoining and immediately behind it.

DD. Expand about 52 mm., usually much less.

GG. Fore and hind wings clear except at the extreme base, where the membranes are orange.

Yellowish or yellowish-green; front conical and prominent. Expands about 50 mm.

Similar cicada: Okanagana uncinata Van Duzee, 1915.

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Tibicinini
Subtribe: Tibicinina
Genera: Okanagana
Species: Okanagana pallidula Davis, 1917

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.
Categories
Audio, Sounds, Songs Okanagana Tibicinini U.S.A. W. L. Distant

Okanagana vanduzeei Distant, 1914

Okanagana vanduzeei Distant, 1914

Song type: Call


Source: ©Insect Singers | Species: O. vanduzeei

Name, Location and Description

From Davis’ key to Okanagana1:

AA. Male uncus hooked at extremity.

BB. Stouter bodied species, the fore and hind wings variegated with orange and black at the base.

C. Third marginal cell more than one half as long as second ulnar area adjoining and immediately behind it.

D. Expand about 55 to 60 mm. Black species with basal portions of fore and hind wings orange variegated with black.

E. Front of head not conspicuously produced; underside of the abdomen with very numerous long silken hairs.

F. Abdomen black above or nearly so in var. californica.

Almost wholly black above, pronotum dull rufus [rust color], particularly on the sides; abdomen beneath with the central area black, except the reddish or yellowish posterior margin of each segment; valve black on the underside.
Expands about 60 mm.

There are two varieties, although no longer recognized as sub-species:

O. vanduzeei var. consobrina Distant: “Dorsal markings much lighter, especially about the mesonotal X; abdomen beneath with a black spot on each segment except the last. Expands about 55 or 60 mm.”1

O. vanduzeei var. californica Distant: “Dorsal markings of the pronotum still more extended and confluent; beneath, abdomen almost entirely yellowish, valve yellowish. Expands about 57 mm.”1

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Tibicinini
Subtribe: Tibicinina
Genus: Okanagana
Species: Okanagana vanduzeei Distant, 1914

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.
Categories
Oriental Cicadidae Tosena Tosenini W. L. Distant

Tosena Cicadas

Tosena is a genus of cicadas that can be found in the Indo-Malaya ecozone, which includes the Indian subcontinent, Southeastern Asia and southern China. Tosena cicadas have colorful wings, which rival the beauty of butterfly wings. Tosena are easily obtainable online from stores that sell insects, or ebay. The Tosena genus was first identified by Charles Jean-Baptiste Amyot & Jean Guillaume Audinet-Serville in 1843.

From A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant:

Tosena is one of the most conspicuous genera of the Cicadidae, and its species are all included in this fauna. The north-eastern districts of Continental India are its head-quarters, for here are focused some of the largest and handsomest of its species ; it is also well represented in Burma, and from thence its distribution is extended throughout the Malay Peninsula to the south, and apparently northward as far as some portions of China. In the Malayan Archipelago it is not uncommon in Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, and as I have seen representatives from Amboyna, it probably exists in other intervening islands, of which, however, we have at present no precise information.

Different types of Tosena:

Tosena albata:

Tosena albata
Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Photos of live T. albata.

Distinguishing features: Mustard colored pronotal collar, orange abdomen with a series of two black circular spots, and dark brown wings with one white stripe on each fore wing.

Habitat: Southeast Asia.

Tosena depicta:

Tosena depicta
Illustration from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant.

Photos of living T. depicta.

Distinguishing features: A vibrant green pronotal collar; an orange abdomen with a series of black markings; wings are dark brown to black, with the one white stripe on each fore wing, and a white anal lobe on each hind wing.

Phantastic songs of the S.E. Asian cicadas! website has an MP3 of a T. depicta singing.

Habitat: Southeast Asia.

Tosena fasciata

Tosena fasciata by Álvaro Lisón Gómez
Tosena fasciata by Álvaro Lisón Gómez Creative Commons License.

Photo of a live T. fasciata.

Distinguishing features: A pale orange pronotal collar; brown wings with one white stripe on each fore wing; an orange abdomen with one black spot; the the anal lobe of the hind wing appears lighter in color than the rest of the hind wing.

Habitat: Southeast Asia.

Tosena mearesiana

No photos.

Distinguishing features: See A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant

Habitat: India.

Tosena melanoptera

Photos of a live T. melanoptera.

Distinguishing features: Red eyes; white pronotal collar; pale brown stripe on dark brown fore wings.

Habitat: India & Southeast Asia.

Tosena monitvaga

No photos.

Distinguishing features: See A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant

Habitat: India.

Sources to learn more about Tosena cicadas:

  • The Book Cicadas of Thailand: General and Particular Characteristics. Volume 1 by Michel Boulard. This book mentions Tosena, in particular, many times, and in general it does an excellent job of discussing the anatomy, behavior and habitat of cicadas found in Thailand.
  • A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant. (1889, Published by the Order of the Trustees of the Indian Museum of Calcutta).
  • Rhynchota: Heteroptera-Homopetera ( Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma ) by W. L. Distant (1906)
  • The Cicadas of India Facebook page