Cicada - Megatibicen pronotalis

Moved

… Bill Reynolds, 22 October, 2013 - 3:35pm

Tibicen species and dorsal pruinosity

There are several tibicen species that may often be characterized by greater amounts of wax or pruinosity dorsally. Individuals of each taxon listed below may even have copious amounts of pruinosity dorsally often giving their abdomens a striped or blotched appearance.

These taxa include the larger species and are as follows:

Tibicen dorsatus (very striped & blotched abdomens)

T. tremulus (very striped & blotched abdomens)

T. dealbatus (very striped & blotched abdomens)

T. pronotalis (occasionally striped & blotched)

T. cultriformis (occasionally striped & blotched)

T. resh (occasionally striped & blotched)

T. resonans (occasionally striped & blotched)

T. auletes (occasionally striped & blotched)

T. figuratus (occasionally striped &/or blotched)

will post more images of figuratus here on the guide soon

… Bill Reynolds, 14 January, 2010 - 3:27pm

NOT T. Pronotalis

This would appear to be T. Pronotalis, but the white spots lining the abdomen indicate that it is Tibicen Dorsata, the Golden Cicada.

… Raven Wenner, 9 August, 2007 - 11:35pm

YES - Tibicen pronotalis ("ssp. pronotalis")

In the northern and western parts of the pronotalis range (particularly the "Great Plains"), these cicadas tend to be slightly smaller and considerably more variable in coloration, pruinosity and pronotal pattern.

There is some evidence to suggest both pronotalis and dealbatus form a blend zone or introgression zone. The increased pruinosity seen in some pronotalis specimens from the central Plains States approaches that seen in T. dealbatus. The abdomen may even appear "striped" dorsally or flanked with silvery-white wax as seen in dealbatus and dorsatus/tremulus - case in point, as seen here in this specimen of T. pronotalis!

… Bill Reynolds, 18 November, 2009 - 1:36pm