Psaltoda plaga

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Psaltoda plaga
Cicada Black Prince - Psaltoda plaga (6871011140).jpg
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Hemiptera
Family:
Cicadidae
Genus:
Psaltoda
Species:
P. plaga
Binomial name
Psaltoda plaga
Synonyms [1]

Cicada argentata Germar, 1834
Cicada plaga Walker, 1850
Psaltoda argentata (Germar)

Contents

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.

An audio recording of a Black Prince Cicada (Psaltoda plaga).

Taxonomy

The black prince was originally described by German naturalist Ernst Friedrich Germar in 1834 as Cicada argentata, [2] the species name derived from the Latin argentum "silver". Swedish entomologist Carl Stål defined the new genus Psaltoda in 1861 with three species, including the black prince as Psaltoda argentata. [3] Meanwhile, English entomologist Francis Walker described Cicada plaga in 1850 as well as querying further specimens as Cicada argentata. [4] He noted in 1858 that the binomial Cicada argentata had been used by a European species, and declared that Germar's cicada needed a new name. [5] The older combination was ruled invalid as the binomial name Cicada argentata had been originally used for a European cicada now known as Cicadetta argentata , and the black prince became Psaltoda plaga. [6]

Psaltoda mossi is similar to P. plaga in colour and brown discoloration on the wing, but has its prominent postclypeus and large abdominal tergite 3 suggest a closer relationship with P. flavescens . [7] Psaltoda harrisii is also similar, but is smaller and lacks the wing infuscation. [8] Relationships of the members of the genus Psaltoda remain unclear pending a full phylogenetic investigation. [7]

The name black prince was in popular use by 1923. [9] It was reported by McKeown in 1942 as referring to a dark form of the green grocer ( Cyclochila australasiae forma spreta), but was later linked to Psaltoda plaga. [10] It is used for the darker form of the species, while the name silver knight is used for the olive and green colour forms. [11]

Description

Side view of a black prince Black Prince Cicada 03.jpg
Side view of a black prince

This species can be recognised by its forewing having a zigzag infuscation (dark marking) near the apex, while the hindwing lacks an infuscation around the border (unlike the related P. moerens ). Adult males have forewing length of 38-47 mm, while adult females are slightly smaller with forewing length 37-45 mm. [6]

The colour of adult male black prince varies with age and locality. Around Sydney north to the Hunter River, it is very dark, predominantly black, with some brown markings; the abdomen black above and brown below. The eyes are brown. Further north from Brunswick Heads to Coolum Beach, the black prince exhibits more green markings instead of brown, and is lighter overall in coloration. Individuals with green and black markings resemble the green baron ( Psaltoda magnifica ) of North Queensland. [6]

There are two components of the call; a rhythmic revving, which is more prevalent when the weather is cooler, and a continuous call, more common in hot weather. [6]

Distribution and habitat

The black prince is found from the vicinity of Maryborough in Queensland through eastern New South Wales to Bega on the state's south coast. Although it can reach as far inland as Stanthorpe, Warwick, Inverell, Coonabarabran, Molong and Cowra, it is generally more abundant in coastal areas. It may occur locally in massive numbers, at times in mountainous areas up to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) altitude, with swarms of cicadas in some summers. [6] They were recorded as appearing every year, mainly between December and March in western Sydney. [12]

Some permanent water such as rivers and swamps is a prerequisite for habitat, and trees preferred include broad-leaved paperbark ( Melaleuca quinquenervia ), mangroves, and river sheoak ( Casuarina cunninghamiana ), as well as rough-barked apple ( Angophora floribunda ), English sycamore ( Acer pseudoplatanus ) and weeping willow ( Salix babylonica ). [6] The species was associated with white feather honeymyrtle ( Melaleuca decora ) and swamp sheoak ( Casuarina glauca ) in a study at three sites in western Sydney. [12] Cicadas perch on branches rather than the trunk. [6]

Life cycle

Adults mating on a she-oak Black Prince Cicada 01.jpg
Adults mating on a she-oak

The cicada spends seven years underground in nymph form drinking sap from the roots of plants before emerging from the Ground as an adult. Species on which it feeds include weeping willow, river sheoak, rough-barked apple and various eucalypts. [6] The adults, which live for four weeks, fly around, mate, and breed over the summer.

In one field study in southeastern Queensland, black princes emerged en masse over a 10- to 15-day period in late November to early December, with successive nymphs emerging in gradually fewer numbers over the following 75–80 days until early March. At peak emerging periods, up to 300 cicadas would alight on a single tree. [13]

Predators

A 1995 paper found that the black prince and related redeye ( Psaltoda moerens ) are favoured food items of the noisy friarbird, which swallows them head-first and whole. The width of its gape size is similar to that of the two cicada species. Red wattlebirds have been found to ignore the cicadas, possibly because their gapes are not wide enough to accommodate swallowing them whole. [14] Noisy miners, blue-faced honeyeaters, little wattlebirds, grey and pied butcherbirds, magpie-larks, Torresian crows, white-faced herons and even the nocturnal tawny frogmouth, have all been reported as significant predators. [13] The frogmouths and bearded dragons have been observed feeding on emerging nymphs, however total nymphal mortality is estimated at under 10%. [13] The black prince is also preyed upon by the cicada killer wasp ( Exeirus lateritius ), which stings and paralyses the cicada before storing it in its burrow with the wasp egg, and larva which awakes and consumes the hapless insect. [15]

Live cicadas are often collected by climbing trees, a common cause of summertime broken arms. [16] The cicadas can be kept temporarily as pets in shoeboxes, but not easily for longer than a day or two, given that they need flowing sap for food. [17] Highly regarded by schoolchildren, [10] the black prince was valued at "three cherrynoses, four floury bakers, five yellow mondays or a thousand green grocers" by Australian journalist Peter FitzSimons in his childhood. [18] Although they were held by schoolchildren to be rare, black princes were more common along riverbanks rather than suburban areas. [17] Local folklore held that chemists would pay a dollar for the wings. [10] Cicada expert Max Moulds has suggested this may be because Chinese immigrants valued them in Chinese herbal medicine in the 19th century gold rush, perhaps because they resemble the widely used Asian black and scarlet cicada ( Huechys sanguinea ). [17]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cicada</span> Superfamily of insects

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cicadidae</span> Family of cicada insects

Cicadidae, the true cicadas, is the largest family of cicadas, with more than 3,200 species worldwide. The oldest known definitive fossils are from the Paleocene, a nymph from the Cretaceous Burmese amber has been attributed to the family, but could also belong to the Tettigarctidae.

<i>Amphipsalta zelandica</i> Species of true bug

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.

<i>Thopha saccata</i> Australian species of cicada

Thopha saccata, 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.

<i>Psaltoda moerens</i> Species of true bug

Psaltoda moerens, commonly known as the redeye, is an Australian species of cicada. It is distributed through the south-east of Australia, from southern Queensland to South Australia, as well as Tasmania. Populations can vary greatly between years; one year they may be present in large numbers and the next they may be entirely absent. They feed primarily on eucalyptus but also on Angophora trees. As they feed on tree sap they expel small droplets of clear waste fluid. When numbers are high, this can form a constant stream.

<i>Cyclochila australasiae</i> Species of true bug

Cyclochila australasiae is a species of cicada and one of Australia's most familiar insects. It is distributed through coastal regions of southeastern Australia. Green specimens are commonly known as green grocers and yellow ones as yellow mondays.

<i>Aleeta curvicosta</i> Species of insect

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.

Abricta is a genus of cicada found in Réunion, Mauritius, northeastern India, the Moluccas, New Caledonia and eastern Australia. They make a distinctive hissing sound when calling. Adult members of the genus usually face downwards on tree branches, and lay their eggs in living tissue. The genus was originally described by Carl Stål. The type species is Abricta brunnea from Mauritius and Reunion. However, recent review of the genus has shown it to be a disparate group of species, and the Australian members moved to other genera. S.M. Moulds conducted a morphological analysis of the genus and found the cicadas split naturally into clades according to biogeographical region. Of the 15 Australian species, the floury baker was the earliest offshoot. Unpublished data confirmed it was quite genetically distant from the other 14 species and so it was classified in a new monotypic genus Aleeta, while the others were placed in the genus Tryella.

<i>Psaltoda</i> Genus of true bugs

Psaltoda is a genus of cicada found in eastern Australia. Originally described by Carl Stål, the type species is Psaltoda moerens known as the redeye, and P. plaga is a well-known species from eastern Australia, known as the black prince. Fifteen species are recognised. Relationships of the species with each other remains unclear.

<i>Tryella</i> Genus of true bugs

Tryella is a genus of 14 species of cicada found in Australia and New Guinea. For many years, the members were classified in the genus Abricta. However, recent review of the genus has shown it to be a disparate group of species, and the Australian members moved to other genera. S.M. Moulds conducted a morphological analysis of the genus and found the cicadas split naturally into clades according to biogeographical region. Of the 15 Australian species, the floury baker was the earliest offshoot. Unpublished data confirmed it was quite genetically distant from the other 14 species and so it was classified in a new monotypic genus Aleeta, while the others were placed in the genus Tryella. The genus name is derived from the Ancient Greek tryelis "ladle" and relates to the ladle-shaped uncal lobes of the species in the genus.

<i>Arunta perulata</i> Species of true bug

Arunta perulata is a large cicada native to Australia. It is also known as the white drummer cicada. The name floury baker was previously applied to this species, but that name is now specific to Aleeta curvicosta.

<i>Macrotristria angularis</i> Species of true bug

Macrotristria angularis, commonly known as the cherrynose, is an Australian cicada native to eastern Australia, where it is found in sclerophyll forests.

<i>Psaltoda harrisii</i> Species of true bug

Psaltoda harrisii, commonly known as the yellowbelly, is a species of cicada native to eastern Australia. It can be distinguished from the similar but larger Black prince, by noting the absence of a dark Z-shaped infuscation near the apex of the forewings, which is present on P. plaga.

Psaltoda mossi is a species of cicada native to the vicinity of Cairns in northeastern Australia.

Maxwell Sydney Moulds is an Australian entomologist. The majority of his books are written about Cicadas. Maxwell Sydney Moulds led a morphological analysis of the genus and discovered the cicadas separation naturally into clades according to biogeographical area.

Selymbria is a genus of cicadas in the family Cicadidae, found in the Neotropics. There are about six described species in Selymbria.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Psaltodini</span> Tribe of true bugs

Psaltodini is a tribe of cicadas in the family Cicadidae, found in Australia. There are at least 3 genera and about 17 described species in Psaltodini.

Talcopsaltria is a genus of cicadas in the family Cicadidae. There is at least one described species in Talcopsaltria, T. olivei, found in Australia, in Queensland. The genus was first described in 2008 by Maxwell Sydney Moulds.

Illyria viridis, the yidiyidi, is a species of singing cicada found in Western Australia. The genus Illyria was created in 1985 by Australian entomologist Maxwell Sydney Moulds. The yidiyidi was first described by Moulds and David C. Marshall in 2022. Prior to 2022, the genus consisted of only four cicada species for almost forty years.

References

  1. ↑ Australian Biological Resources Study (14 May 2012). "Species Psaltoda plaga (Walker, 1850)". Australian Faunal Directory. Canberra, Australian Capital Territory: Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, Australian Government. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  2. ↑ Germar, Ernst Friedrich (1834). "Observations sur plusieurs espèces du genre Cicada Latr". Revue Entomologique (in French). 2: 49–82, pls. 19–26. [66].
  3. ↑ Stål, Carl (1861). "Genera nonnulla nova Cicadinorum". Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (in Latin). 4 (1): 613–22 [613–14].
  4. ↑ Walker, Francis (1850). List of the specimens of homopterous insects in the collection of the British museum. London, United Kingdom: Printed by order of the Trustees of the British Museum. p. 109.
  5. ↑ Walker, Francis (1858). Supplement to the List of the specimens of homopterous insects in the collection of the British museum. London, United Kingdom: Printed by order of the Trustees of the British Museum. p. 20.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Moulds, Maxwell Sydney (1990). Australian Cicadas. Kensington, New South Wales: New South Wales University Press. pp. 81–83. ISBN   0-86840-139-0.
  7. 1 2 Moulds, Maxwell Sydney (2002). "Three New Species of Psaltoda Stål from Eastern Australia (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae)" (PDF). Records of the Australian Museum. 54 (3): 325–34. doi:10.3853/j.0067-1975.54.2002.1370. ISSN   0067-1975.
  8. ↑ Moulds, Maxwell (1 September 2009). "Those noisy Sydney insects – the cicadas". In Daniel Lunney; Pat Hutchings; Dieter Hochuli (eds.). The natural history of Sydney. Mosman, NSW: Royal Zoological Society of New South Wales. pp. 227–233. ISBN   9780980327236.
  9. ↑ "Mr. Wiseacre Discourses". The Catholic Press . NSW: National Library of Australia. 20 December 1923. p. 47. Retrieved 30 August 2013.
  10. 1 2 3 Moulds, p. 3.
  11. ↑ Popple, Lindsay (2006). "Genus Psaltoda Stal, 1861 (Redeye, Roarers, Barons, Clanger, Yellowbelly, Sages and Knights)". The cicadas of central eastern Australia. University of Queensland. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  12. 1 2 Emery, D.L.; Emery, S.J.; Emery, N.J.; Popple, L.W. (2005). "A Phenological Study of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in Western Sydney, New South Wales, with Notes on Plant Associations". Australian Entomologist. 32: 97–110.
  13. 1 2 3 Ewart, A. (2001). "Emergence patterns and densities of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) near Caloundra, South-East Queensland". Australian Entomologist. 28 (3): 69–84.
  14. ↑ Saunders, A.S.J.; Ambrose, S.J.; Burg, S. (1995). "Gape Width and Prey Selectivity in the Noisy Friarbird Philemon corniculatus and Red Wattlebird Anthochaera carunculata". Emu. 95 (4): 297–300. doi:10.1071/MU9950297.
  15. ↑ Moulds, p. 10.
  16. ↑ "COLUMN 8". The Sydney Morning Herald . National Library of Australia. 5 December 1952. p. 1. Retrieved 31 August 2013.
  17. 1 2 3 Craig, Owen (17 February 2001). "Summer of singing cicadas". ABC Science – Environment and Nature. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 15 August 2013.
  18. ↑ FitzSimons, Peter (2010). A Simpler Time. HarperCollins. ISBN   978-0730492511.
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