Collected and photographed by Bill Reynolds, NC Museum of Natural Sciences, dates 2005-2008.
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These cicadas exemplify the typical dark coloration seen in the Fall-line Hills and Lower Piedmont Plateau of Central North Carolina. Some may possess bright coloration on the pronotum and in the center of the mesonotum, but few - one thus far - seem to have the richly colored lateral fulvous areas on the mesonotum.

The fulvous coloration typical of some T. lyricen populations shows up with greater frequency south and east of here in both the Sandhills and upper edge of the Coastal Plain. This trait becomes increasingly pronounced in specimens collected along the lower coastal plain and in those from habitats closer to the coast.

Populations of T. lyricen from higher elevations in NC are typically very dark and characteristically more akin to var. engelhardti; however, even in these populations, individuals can be found that are quite colorful and similar in appearance to those frequenting lower elevations.