April 13, 2020

Pacarina puella Davis, 1923 aka Little Mesquite Cicada

Pacarina puella Davis, 1923 aka Little Mesquite Cicada.

Image

Pacarina puella Davis, 1923
Photo credit: Pacarina by John Beard in Atascosa County, TX.

All Pacarina puella information & images on cicadamania.com.

Song type: Call

Source: ©Insect Singers | Species: P. puella

Name, Location and Description

Cicada Name: Pacarina puella Davis, 1923
Short Name: P. puella
Common Name: Little Mesquite Cicada
When: May-July. Peak in June.
Where it is found: AZ, LA, OK, TX
Maps: Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico [PDF]
Description: Tiny. Varies: brown, green, black, etc.
Eye Color: light
Pronotal Collar Color: varies
Identification: Bug Guide
Identification: iNaturalist
Taxonomic Information: Integrated Taxonomic Information System
Song: Insect Singers

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Fidicinini
Subtribe: Guyalnina
Genus: Pacarina
Species: Pacarina puella Davis, 1923

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.

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February 29, 2020

Pacarina puella photos by John Beard taken in Texas

Filed under: Fidicinini | Pacarina | Photos & Illustrations | U.S.A. — Tags: P. puella — Dan @ 10:41 am

Pacarina puella Davis,1923. These photos were take by John Beard in Atascosa County, TX.

Pacarina puella photos by John Beard taken in Texas

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October 2, 2018

Pacarina puella Davis, 1923

Pacarina puella Davis, 1923 is a small cicada. About 2 centimeters, according to BugGuide.You can find this cicada in the several southern (United) States, Mexico, and Central America. It is commonly known as the Little Mesquite Cicada.

It’s also one of the cuter cicadas. See what I mean:
Pacarina puella photos by John Beard taken in Texas

Photo credit: Pacarina by by John Beard in Atascosa County, TX

Listen to its song ((c) Insect Singers):

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Sub Family: Cicadinae
Tribe: Fidicinini
Sub Tribe: Guyalnina
Genus: Pacarina
Species: Pacarina puella Davis, 1923

And its name has changed since 1914. It used to be known as Pacarina signifera (technically, its a synonym):

Pacarina puella Davis, 1923
The image says Pacarina signifera but the newest name of this cicada is Pacarina puella.

Pacarina genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head (including eyes) broader than base of mesonotum ; eyes projecting beyond anterior angles of pronotum ; vertex at area of ocelli much longer than front ; pronotum with the posterior angles moderately lobately produced, its lateral margins oblique, slightly sinuate, its length shorter than that of mesonotum ; abdomen about as long as space between apex of head and base of cruciform elevation; tympanal coverings distinct but inwardly concavely narrowed and exposing the tympanal cavities; face convex, a little broader than the space between it and eyes; opercula about reaching base of abdomen, their lateral margins oblique, their posterior margins a little rounded; anterior femora armed with two strong spines beneath; rostrum about reaching the posterior coxae; tegmina and wings hyaline; apical areas eight.

References:

The illustration comes from the journal Genera Insectorum, and a specific article from 1914 by W. L. Distant titled Homoptera. Fam. Cicadidae, Subfam, Gaeaninae. Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
Species name information/verification comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).

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