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Audio, Sounds, Songs Megatibicen Tacuini (Cryptotympanini) U.S.A. William T. Davis

Megatibicen dealbatus (Davis, 1915) aka Plains Cicada

Megatibicen dealbatus (Davis, 1915) aka Plains Cicada.

Neotibicen dealbatus from Bill Reynolds collection
Megatibicen dealbatus from Bill Reynolds collection. All M. dealbatus images and information on this website.

Song

Source: ©Insect Singers

Video Playlist

Playlists contain multiple videos found on YouTube.

Name, Location and Description

A description by Wm. T. Davis.

The description comes from Wm. T. Davis’ document A NEW VARIETY OF CICADA RESEMBLING C. DORSATA. from September, 2015, published in the Journal of the New York Entomological Society. Vol. 23: 161-164.

Markings resembling those of C. dorsata [now M. dorsatus], but marginata var. dealbata is more green in color and has less black about the central area of the pronotum. The mesonotum is marked as in dorsata but is more pruinose ; the turgum has a dorsal line of white spots as in dorsata, but the sides are broadly pruinose and the posterior margin of each segment is narrowly edged with greenish yellow. Beneath both insects may be of the same color, though dorsata is usually much darker. The opercula are about as broad as long and broadly rounded at the tips. The fore wings in dorsata are oval in shape with the inner side (radius) of the costal margin blackish ; the veins are heavy and thickened, and the W-mark is prominent, whereas in luarginata var. dealbata the fore wings are more acuminate in form, the costal margin is green, darkened beyond the middle of the wing and the W-mark is not conspicuous or is wanting. One of the greatest differences between the two insects is in the genitalia. The uncus in dorsata viewed at full face is narrow and the piece below into which it locks is broadly notched with the extremities rounded. In var. dealbata the uncus is more nearly triangular in shape and the lower piece is narrowly notched with the extremities much produced. The male type of var. dealbata is figured.

Length of body 35 mm. ; length of fore wing 46 mm. ; expanse of wings 105 mm.

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
Subtribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Megatibicen
Species: Megatibicen dealbatus (Davis, 1915)

List of sources

  1. Davis, W.T. A NEW VARIETY OF CICADA RESEMBLING C. DORSATA. 1915. The Journal of the New York Entomological Society. 23:161-164. Link to the paper.
  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.
Categories
Bill Reynolds Megatibicen Tacuini (Cryptotympanini) U.S.A.

Megatibicen dealbatus

Megatibicen dealbatus from Bill Reynolds’ collection.

Neotibicen dealbatus from Bill Reynolds collection

Categories
Adam Fleishman Neotibicen Tacuini (Cryptotympanini)

New Cicada Photos from Adam Fleishman / ID this cicada

Here’s some new photos from photographer and cicada enthusiast Adam Fleishman. As always, they’re great photos. If you can help ID the first two photos, we’d appreciate it.

Neotibicen dealbatus:

Tibicen

Neotibicen dealbatus:

Tibicen

Neotibicen dorsatus (formerly T.dorsata):

T. dorsatus (formerly T.dorsata)

T. dorsata

Neotibicen superbus (formerly T. superba)

T. superba

Visit Adam’s website Cometmoth Sight and Sound

Categories
Megatibicen Neotibicen Tibicen

ID the Tibicen

Brian Baldwin sent over some cicada photos for an ID. Here’s my guesses (below). If you have a more accurate guess, post it in the Comments.

Megatibicen dorsatus (formerly T. dorsata):

Megatibicen dorsatus by Brian Baldwin

At first I thought T. walkeri, but now I’m leaning towards Brain’s guess of N. superbus. This would be the first superbus with a brown mesonotum that I’ve ever seen.:

Brian Baldwin's Neotibicen superbus

Megatibicen dealbatus (formerly dealbata):

Megatibicen dealbatus by Brian Baldwin

Categories
Kathy Hill Megatibicen Neotibicen Tibicen U.S.A.

Auletes (no Megatibicen grossus) IS the biggest USA cicada!

Cicada researcher Kathy Hill took this unbelievable photo of 18 different USA Neotibicen & Megatibicen specimens, plus a Quesada gigas (upper right) for comparison.

Kathy Hill. Auletes is the biggest Tibicen

Click/tap the image for a much larger version. Contact Insect Singers for more information about the image.

I just took a photo of all the “eastern USA” Tibicens except
latifasciata, which we haven’t got yet (I didn’t include the “little
western” Tibicens like T. texana that are more centrally located
either). But I did also add T. duryi from the west coast and Q.
gigas, just for comparison.

I just wanted to prove that auletes IS the biggest USA cicada 🙂

Note that the these cicadas were reorganized into two new genera: Megatibicen (larger USA Tibicen) and Neotibicen (smaller USA Tibicen) since this original announcement in 2006.

* Note as of 2023 the name of this cicada has changed to Megatibicen grossus. You can also call it a Northern Dusk-Signing Cicada. Cicada names change a lot.