Categories
Brazil Video

More Cicadas from Brazil to ID

A few more mystery cicadas from Jairo from the Cigarras do Brasil — Brazilian Cicadas website. These cicadas are from Brazil. This time with videos featuring their song.

Cicada A:

“Now i’m sending you a video of a strange cicada song, very highly pitched, and two blurry photos of it. Sorry i couldn’t take better pictures (they’re very small and hard to catch), but i hope it can help you.
As far as i could see, this cicada seems to belong to the genus Taphura. I saw some cicadas of this genus and it really loks like them (if only the pictures showed that…). They have a green head and mesonotum, but the abdomen has a different color, probably beige or brown. Their belly seem to be white, with beige legs. Their song starts with clicks from a male, then another male responds to it, and then all males in the place sing together a very fast buzz. Probably i recorded here their “alarm call”, to warn the others about the presence of a stranger, ’cause their song was very erratic.”

Images of this cicada (yeah, they’re not the best quality):

Jairo

Jairo

Cicada B:

“This one really gets me intrigued! Never saw the cicada (that’s why i don’t have pics), but i’ve heard it a lot! Very low sound, this song is a succession of short calls (ki-ki-ki-ki). Males singing together seem to be duelling. All i can say is it seems to be from genus Dorisiana, but without pictures i cannot prove this.
This one is really a challenge.”

Cicada C:

“I made this recording in October 5th 2010 (spring), and you can hear the second part of a cicada song (i couldn’t record the first part). The song starts with a slow sequence of short calls (ki-ki-ki), and then it accelerates and becomes a fast sequence of zizizi sounds. People will say that it sounds like Fidicina mannifera or F. torresi, but i know these two species enough to say that it wasn’t any of them, along with the fact that they don’t sing in trees as high as the one in the footage. Could it be Majeorona aper??? They appear in springtime, and i don’t know their song!”

Categories
Brazil

Help identify these Cicadas from Brazil

Jairo from the very cool Cigarras do Brasil – Brazilian Cicadas website asked us to help identify five cicadas from Brazil.

Updated on 3/19 with new images.

If you can ID any of them, let us know in the Comments.

Image 1:

002: Green cicada with size about 1,5cm, probably genus Carineta. No song recorded

“002: Green cicada with size about 1,5cm, probably genus Carineta. No song recorded:”

New image

Jairo Green Cicada

“people said this is not Carineta (even if it seems to be it for me), so i’m sending a photo from another angle (same green cicada). Sure this is not a Fidicina. Photo taken in brazilian late summer (march 04, 2011).”

Image 2:

SL370390: This one was found singing in the grass (its song sounds like a Tibicen auriferus). Its size is about 1,7cm (3/4 in). Color dark green with yellow spots (including the veins in the wings).

“SL370390: This one was found singing in the grass (its song sounds like a Tibicen auriferus). Its size is about 1,7cm (3/4 in). Color dark green with yellow spots (including the veins in the wings).:”

New Image:

SL370390: This one was found singing in the grass (its song sounds like a Tibicen auriferus). Its size is about 1,7cm (3/4 in). Color dark green with yellow spots (including the veins in the wings).

“SL370343: People said this is Proarna, but are they sure? This cicada didn’t finish the molting process. If it’s so, the grass cicada is Proarna too. October 04, 2010.”

Image 3:

SL370337: This one has just left its exuvia, so it was not molted yet. But it sings like a Tibicen davisi, and its size is about 2cm. They usually sing high up in trees

“SL370337: This one has just left its exuvia, so it was not molted yet. But it sings like a Tibicen davisi, and its size is about 2cm. They usually sing high up in trees”

New image:

SL370387: got terrible pictures of this tiny cicada, but i can say the "M" mark on the back of it is yellow, same as the wing veins. Its belly is white, except in the middle of the abdomen, which is light brown. Same as SL370390, sings on the grass. Check the date on the picture (mid spring).

“SL370387: got terrible pictures of this tiny cicada, but i can say the “M” mark on the back of it is yellow, same as the wing veins. Its belly is white, except in the middle of the abdomen, which is light brown. Same as SL370390, sings on the grass. Check the date on the picture (mid spring).”

Image 5:

020: Not sure, but could probably be the same as SL370337 (with the difference that this one is dead).

“020: Not sure, but could probably be the same as SL370337 (with the difference that this one is dead).”

New image

004: dorsal view - better angles for the dead cicada, so you can check the belly. If the two previous cicadas are Proarna, this one should be too, i'm sure they belong to the same genus.

“004: dorsal view – better angles for the dead cicada, so you can check the belly. If the two previous cicadas are Proarna, this one should be too, i’m sure they belong to the same genus.”

New image:

005: better angles for the dead cicada, so you can check the belly. If the two previous cicadas are Proarna, this one should be too, i'm sure they belong to the same genus.

“005: better angles for the dead cicada, so you can check the belly. If the two previous cicadas are Proarna, this one should be too, i’m sure they belong to the same genus.”

Image 4:

DSF0993: gray color with black spots, excellent camouflage, size about 1 inch (2,5cm), song starts with clicks and then sounds like a plane turbine (i'll send you video later). It lasts about 20 seconds

“DSF0993: gray color with black spots, excellent camouflage, size about 1 inch (2,5cm), song starts with clicks and then sounds like a plane turbine (i’ll send you video later). It lasts about 20 seconds”

Categories
Books Pop Culture

Greek Entomythology by Artemis Ippotis

Here’s something fun for fans of entomology, Greek mythology and creativity: Greek Entomythology by Artemis Ippotis. Artemis (Diana Knight) has created a fun and whimsical book that tells Greek myths using photos of insects. The book is truly one of a kind! Artemis is also planing on offering the book as an iPad/iPhone app.

If you’re interesting in obtaining the book, write Diana at:

Diana Knight
The Manor,
Barton Mills,
Suffolk IP 28 6BL
UK

The book features some of my Tibicen photos. I laughed out loud when I saw the Tibicen playing a lyre.

Greek Entomythology by Artemis Ippotis

New, here’s a video promo for the book:

Categories
Brood XIX Lenny Lampel Magicicada

Mecklenburg County Brood XIX Magicicada Monitoring Project

Brood XIX 13 year cicadas will be emerging this year in the USA, and folks are already making plans for the emergence.

Lenny Lampel, Natural Resources Coordinator for the Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation Conservation Science Office in Charlotte, North Carolina, is organizing a “Cicada Watch” / Brood XIX Magicicada Monitoring Project. Read an article about Cicada Watch in the Charlotte Observer: Cicadas return – and you can make it count.

If you live in the Mechlenburg County area, and are interested in participating in Cicada Watch, here is more information:

Cicada Watch
Mecklenburg County Brood XIX Magicicada Monitoring Project

Brood XIX, a 13-year brood (or year-class) of periodical cicadas, is set to emerge in 2011. Known as the “Great Southern Brood”, this emergence of cicadas is expected to appear in portions of 15 states. In North Carolina, the cicadas should emerge across much of the piedmont region, including the greater Charlotte
area.

Periodical cicadas appear to be declining in parts of their range throughout the eastern United States, and some broods are now thought to be extinct. Impacts such as development, habitat changes and climatological factors may be contributing to these declines.

Mecklenburg County Park and Recreation’s Division of Nature Preserves and Natural Resources will be collecting data on the emergence of Brood XIX in Mecklenburg County in the Spring of 2011. The help of volunteers and local residents is needed to obtain baseline data on emergence locations and areas of activity within the county. Some of these areas will be monitored throughout the emergence period and can be re-visited in future emergence years to determine whether or not local populations are stable. Data collected during this Cicada Watch will help us to understand the status and future of Brood XIX in Mecklenburg
County.

Volunteers Needed!

Cicada Watch volunteers can assist in any of the following activities:

1. Observe their property and neighborhood for periodical cicada activity and report findings to staff
2. Survey areas of the county where emergences may be expected
3. Collect routine monitoring data from active locations throughout the emergence period
4. Follow up on leads of periodical cicada activity, such as reports of exit holes, emerging nymphs, shed skins, or active adults

For more information or to sign up as a volunteer, please contact :
Lenny Lampel, Natural Resources Coordinator
Phone #: 704-432-1390 E-mail: lenny.lampel@mecklenburgcountync.gov

Categories
Auritibicen Graptopsaltria Japan Lyristes Osamu Hikino Platypleura Tanna

Cicadas from Japan

I re-scanned some old (10+ years old) photos from Osamu Hikino.

Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata:

Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata

Platypleura kaempferi (Fabricius, 1794):

Platypleura kaempferi (Fabricius, 1794)

Amazing camouflage!

A male Tanna japonensis:

A male Tanna japonensis

A male Auritibicen japonicus:

Male Auritibicen japonicus (formerly Tibicen japonicus, Lyristes japonicus)

A male Auritibicen japonicus:

Male Auritibicen japonicus (formerly Tibicen japonicus, Lyristes japonicus)

Categories
Cicada Alphabet

Cicada Mania: Z

Z is for Zeno P. Metcalf. Dr. Metcalf is famous for his study of cicadas and other Auchenorrhyncha. Read more about Zeno P. Metcalf.

Zouga is an easy to hear, but difficult to catch genus of cicada that exists in South Africa. Read more about Zouga cicadas.

Zammara is a South American genus of cicadas, “with with really interesting morphology, including Dracula-like pronotal collars”. Have a look a this pretty blue Zammara.

Thanks to David Marshall of Insect Singers for Zeno, Zouga and Zammara.

Categories
Australia Cicada Alphabet Cyclochila

Cicada Mania: Y

Y is for Yellow Monday Cicada. The Yellow Monday cicada is the yellow form of the Cyclochila australasiae (the green form is the Green Grocer). Yellow Monday Cicadas lack a turquoise pigment that normally combines with the yellow pigment to form a green color. Visit the Scribbly Gum website for a photo and more information about Yellow Mondays.

A Yellow Monday photo by Tom Katzoulopolopoulous:

Yellow Monday (Cyclochila australasiae) photos by Tom Katzoulopolopoulous.

Categories
Cicada Alphabet

Cicada Alphabet: X

X is for xylem sap. Xylem sap is what cicadas eat. Cicadas suck the xylem sap from the xylem of a plant root. Xylem sap contains water and nutrients, which benefit both the plant and the cicada. Visit Wikipedia for more information about xylem and xylem sap.

Categories
Cicada Alphabet

Cicada Alphabet: W

W is for wing clicking. Wing clicking or wing clapping is how female cicadas communicate with male cicadas. Females lack the organs males use to make sounds; instead they click their wings together.

Walker’s cicada, or Tibicen pronotalis, is a Tibicen cicada found in mid-western and southern States. This cicada was formerly known as both Tibicen walkeri & Tibicen marginalis. BugGuide has many photos of Tibicen pronotalis. Walker’s cicada is known for its crisp, well-defined markings.

The Whiskey Drinker aka Cherry Nose cicada (Macrotristria angularis) can be found in eastern Australia. It gets its name from its red clypeus, which resembles the red nose of someone who drinks too much whiskey.

Cherry Nose cicada (Macrotristria angularis). Photo by David Emery.
Cherry Nose cicada (Macrotristria angularis). Photo by David Emery.

The White Drummer (Arunta perulata) is a cicada than can be found along Australia’s east coast. Here is a photo of a White Drummer, which features large areas of (white) pruinose on its abdomen:
White Drummer cicada (Arunta perulata). Photo by David Emery.
Photo by David Emery.

Categories
Australia Cicada Alphabet

Cicada Alphabet: V

V is for Venustria superba, a species of cicada found in Queensland, Australia. The V. superba’s call sounds more like a frog than a cicada.

Read more about the Venustria superba in M.S. Mould’s fantastic book Australian Cicadas.