Neotibicen dealbatus

Megatibicen dealbatus
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hemiptera
Family:	Cicadidae
Genus:	Megatibicen
Species:	M. dealbatus
Binomial name
	Megatibicen dealbatus; (Davis, 1915)
Synonyms
	Tibicen dealbatusDavis, 1915; Neotibicen dealbatus(Davis, 1915);

Last updated November 27, 2021

Megatibicen dealbatus, commonly called the plains cicada, is a species of annual cicada.^[1] Dealbatus is Latin for "whitewashed".

This species used to be called Tibicen dealbatus, but in July 2015, after genetic and physiological evaluation and reconfiguration of the genus Tibicen , this cicada and others in the genus Tibicen were moved to newly created genera.^[2]^[3] Furthermore, the genus Tibicen still exists, but today it only encompasses a small number of European taxa.

Description and identification

M. dealbatus adults have beige-colored eyes. and like many other cicadas in the genus. have a distinctive black "mask" that extends from each of the cicada's bulging eyes. This species' pronotum is light orange or olive green. The coloring of its mesonotum is orange, green, black, or brown with three white pruinosity areas on the dorsum separated by stripes.^[1]

This species may be confused for a superficially similar, but distantly related Megatibicen species: Megatibicen dorsatus . Certain overlapping diagnostic traits are found in both cicadas, such as the pruinose patterning on the abdomen and narrow head. This can complicate accurate identification or lead to erroneous reports, but the call of males and other morphological differences, coupled with geographic locations of both species, are other factors that can aid in correct identification and separation of the two.

Distribution

Populations of M. dealbatus are located in central North America in the U.S. Great Plains region where habitat is favorable. This species is found east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Mississippi River. It has been reported from Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming.^[4]

Habitat

M. dealbatus is found in the grassland ecosystems, often in riparian habitats because of the associated trees, adults frequent cottonwoods ( Populus ) and willows ( Salix ), as well as ornamental and nut trees.^[4]

Nymphs are subterranean and feed on roots of trees and other plants.

Lifecycle

As with all other annual cicada species, the complete lifecycle of M. dealbatus is about 3–5 years long. Only males call to females during the day, preferably from grasses and shrubs in grassland ecosystems. The typical peak activity is from 10 am until 6 pm, usually when the sun is bright and the ambient air temperature is warm. The call of the male is produced by a powerful muscle and membrane in the abdomen called a tymbal, which vibrates, contracts, and releases to produce the sound. The call is amplified because the abdomen of the insect is mostly hollow. Moreover, the calls of cicadas are species-specific and the male calls are distinct, complex songs and phrases composed of a diverse array of clicks, buzzes, chirps, drones, and chatters.

Females communicate to males by clicking their wings, a signal that they are ready for mating. After mating, females lay eggs in dead branches of small trees or shrubs; using an ovipositor to slit a branch and insert eggs. Later, the eggs hatch and nymphs drop to the soil and quickly burrow and feed on the roots of plants. Five instars occur in which nymphs grow in size by shedding their skins underground. Once mature (after the 3- to 5-year feeding period underground), the nymphs emerge from the ground through tunnel systems during the summer. They crawl up trees, grasses, shrubs, buildings, or other stable structures and shed their final skin. At this stage, they are teneral, but they dry overnight and fly away by dawn to continue the cycle. Healthy adult cicadas of this species may live as long as a two months. The dry, brown shells (exuviae) remain attached to plants and buildings. Throughout most of the range, this species is active from July to September. Emergence and decline dates vary from year to year and from location to location.

Diet

Adults of M. dealbatus feed on numerous vascular plants by using their piercing, sucking mouthparts to reach the xylem of the plant and consume the fluids. As nymphs, they feed on the roots of plants.

Natural predators

Cicadas have many predators because of their relatively few defenses. A multitude of mammals, birds, reptilians, and arthropods consume cicadas.

Cicada killer wasps frequently attack Megatibicen cicadas. The female wasp's keen eye scans trees and vegetation in search of prey. After locating a cicada, the wasp stings it, injecting paralyzing venom. The wasp then drags the paralyzed victim up a tree or post and flies away with it back to her nest. The cicada is buried in a burrow along with the wasp's eggs. The wasp's larvae emerge and feed on the living but paralyzed prey, pupate, and emerge the following spring. Usually, one generation of wasps happens per year.

Related Research Articles

The cicadas are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera. They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two families, the Tettigarctidae, with two species in Australia, and the Cicadidae, with more than 3,000 species described from around the world; many species remain undescribed.

Sphecius speciosus, often simply referred to as the cicada killer or the cicada hawk, is a large, solitary digger wasp species in the family Crabronidae. The name may be applied to any species of crabronid that preys on cicadas, though in North America, it is typically applied to this species, also referred to as the eastern cicada killer in order to further differentiate it from the multiple other examples of related wasp species. Sometimes, they are called sand hornets, although they are not hornets, which belong to the family Vespidae. This species can be found in the Eastern and Midwest U.S. and southwards into Mexico and Central America. They are so named because they hunt cicadas and provision their nests with them. Cicada killers exert a measure of natural control on cicada populations, and as such they may directly benefit the deciduous trees upon which the cicadas feed.

Cicadas of the genus Neotibicen are large-bodied insects of the family Cicadidae that appear in summer or early fall in eastern North America. Common names include cicada, harvestfly, jar fly, and the misnomer locust. Until recently, these species were all in the genus Tibicen, which was redefined in the twenty-first century to include only a few European species, while species from the Western United States and Mexico are now placed in a separate genus, Hadoa. In addition, several former Neotibicen species have been moved to the genus Megatibicen.

Treehoppers and thorn bugs are members of the family Membracidae, a group of insects related to the cicadas and the leafhoppers. About 3,200 species of treehoppers in over 400 genera are known. They are found on all continents except Antarctica; only five species are known from Europe. Individual treehoppers usually live for only a few months.

Magicicada cassinii, sometimes called the 17-year cicada, Cassin's periodical cicada or the dwarf periodical cicada, is a species of periodical cicada. It is endemic to North America. It has a 17-year lifecycle but is otherwise indistinguishable from the 13-year periodical cicada Magicicada tredecassini. The two species are usually discussed together as "cassini periodical cicadas" or "cassini-type periodical cicadas." Unlike other periodical cicadas, cassini-type males may synchronize their courting behavior so that tens of thousands of males sing and fly in unison. The species was first described by Margaretta Morris. However, the specific name cassinii was in honour of John Cassin, an American ornithologist.

The chorus cicada, Amphipsalta zelandica, is the most common species of cicada in New Zealand, where it is endemic and found in most areas. They typically live in forests and areas with open bush, where their left-over nymph skins can be seen on tree trunks and branches during the summer months. The males produce their cicada sound in unison, which can reach deafening proportions at the height of their population around February. Groups of cicada can suddenly transition from the typical cicada sound to synchronised clicks, using their wings to clap against the surface they are sitting on.

Thopha saccata, commonly known as the double drummer, is the largest Australian species of cicada and reputedly the loudest insect in the world. Documented by the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius in 1803, it was the first described and named cicada native to Australia. Its common name comes from the large dark red-brown sac-like pockets that the adult male has on each side of its abdomen—the "double drums"—that are used to amplify the sound it produces.

Massospora cicadina is a fungal pathogen that infects only 13 and 17 year periodical cicadas. Infection results in a "plug" of spores that replaces the end of the cicada's abdomen while it is still alive, leading to infertility, disease transmission, and eventual death of the cicada.

Aleeta curvicosta is a species of cicada, one of Australia's most familiar insects. Native to the continent's eastern coastline, it was described in 1834 by Ernst Friedrich Germar. The floury baker is the only described species in the genus Aleeta.

Psaltoda plaga is a species of cicada native to eastern Australia, from Maryborough in central Queensland to Bega in southern New South Wales. Adult cicadas appear over the summer and inhabit forested areas near bodies of water. The predominantly black form from the Sydney and Central Coast regions is commonly known as the black prince, while the term silver knight is used for the species as a whole.

Cryptotympanini is a tribe of cicadas in the family Cicadidae. They are found in the Nearctic, Palearctic, Indomalaya, Oceania, and Afrotropics.

Cicada orni is a species of cicada belonging to the family Cicadidae, subfamily Cicadinae and the genus Cicada.

Neotibicen tibicen, known generally as the swamp cicada or morning cicada, is a species of cicada in the family Cicadidae. It is widespread across much of the eastern and central United States and portions of southeastern Canada. There are two subspecies, N. tibicen tibicen and N. tibicen australis, with the latter replacing subspecies tibicen in portions of Florida, Georgia, and Alabama.

Megatibicen dorsatus, known generally as the bush cicada or giant grassland cicada, is a species of cicada in the family Cicadidae.

Diceroprocta is a genus of scrub cicadas in the family Cicadidae. There are at least 60 described species in Diceroprocta.

Diceroprocta apache, the citrus cicada, is a species of cicada in the family Cicadidae. It is found in Central America and North America.

Diceroprocta azteca is a species of cicada in the family Cicadidae. It is found in Central America, North America, and South America.

Cornuplura is a genus of cicadas in the family Cicadidae. There are at least three described species in Cornuplura.

Diceroprocta marevagans is a species of cicada in the family Cicadidae. It is found in Central America and North America.

Megatibicen resh, the resh cicada or western dusk singing cicada, is a species of cicada in the family Cicadidae, found in North America.

References

1 2 "Species Megatibicen dealbatus (Davis 1915)". cicadamania.com.
↑ "Description of a new genus, Auritibicen gen. nov., of Cryptotympanini Hemiptera: Cicadidae) with redescriptions of Auritibicen pekinensis (Haupt, 1924) comb. nov. and Auritibicen slocumi (Chen, 1943) comb. nov. from China and a key to the species of Auritibicen | LEE | Zootaxa". biotaxa.org. Retrieved 2015-07-11.
↑ KATHY B. R. HILL; DAVID C. MARSHALL; MAXWELL S. MOULDS; CHRIS SIMON (25 December 1999). "Molecular phylogenetics, diversification, and systematics of Tibicen Latreille 1825 and allied cicadas of the tribe Cryptotympanini, with three new genera and emphasis on species from the USA and Canada" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3985 (2): 219–251. ISSN 1175-5326 . Retrieved 2015-07-12.
1 2 Allen F. Sanborn & Polly K. Phillips (9 April 2013). "Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico" (PDF). diversity. 5: 166–239. doi: 10.3390/d5020166 . ISSN 1424-2818 . Retrieved 2018-08-07.

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[bug1-1] 1 2 "Species Megatibicen dealbatus (Davis 1915)". cicadamania.com.

[biotaxa-2] "Description of a new genus, Auritibicen gen. nov., of Cryptotympanini Hemiptera: Cicadidae) with redescriptions of Auritibicen pekinensis (Haupt, 1924) comb. nov. and Auritibicen slocumi (Chen, 1943) comb. nov. from China and a key to the species of Auritibicen | LEE | Zootaxa". biotaxa.org. Retrieved 2015-07-11.

[mapress-3] KATHY B. R. HILL; DAVID C. MARSHALL; MAXWELL S. MOULDS; CHRIS SIMON (25 December 1999). "Molecular phylogenetics, diversification, and systematics of Tibicen Latreille 1825 and allied cicadas of the tribe Cryptotympanini, with three new genera and emphasis on species from the USA and Canada" (PDF). Zootaxa. 3985 (2): 219–251. ISSN 1175-5326 . Retrieved 2015-07-12.

[cicadamania-4] 1 2 Allen F. Sanborn & Polly K. Phillips (9 April 2013). "Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico" (PDF). diversity. 5: 166–239. doi: 10.3390/d5020166 . ISSN 1424-2818 . Retrieved 2018-08-07.

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