Cicada Songs of Ontario

8 species of cicada have been observed on iNaturalist from Ontario: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations?place_id=6883&subview=grid&taxon_id=50190&view=species

Sorted within genus by number of observations. Both genera are in family Cicadidae.

Okanagana

Canadian Cicada (O. canadensis)

  • Constant slow, low, clicky buzz

Say's Cicada (O. rimosa)

  • Much faster, higher constant buzz
  • Compare Lyric

Niagara Cicada (O. noveboracensis)

  • Similar to Canadian but higher-pitched
  • Niagara region-Hamilton

Neotibicen

Northern Dog-day Cicada (N. canicularis)

  • High whiny drone, slowly increasing in volume before rapidly fading out
  • Compare Linne's, Lyric, Swamp

Linne's Cicada (N. linnei)

  • Lower consistent whiny buzz, with distinct pulsating bursts in middle third of song
  • Pulsations not increasing in frequency and volume intensely like Swamp

Lyric Cicada (N. lyricen)

  • Like Linne's but without pulsating sections
  • perhaps most similar to Say's, but lower, slower, and more... gurgled?

Scissor-grinder Cicada (N. pruinosus)

  • Repeated short bursts of high, whiny drone
  • Described as "weeoo-weeoo-weeoo-..."

Swamp Cicada (N. tibicen)

  • High pitched crescendo with distinct loud pulsations increasing to a rapid frequency
  • Hybrid of the songs of Northern Dog-day and Linne's, but with the pulsation unlike Northern Dog-day and without the long unpulsated sections that Linne's has

Resources
http://songsofinsects.com/cicadas
https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/common-cicadas-of-north-america/
http://www.insectsingers.com/100th_meridian_cicadas/index.html
Visual ID
https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/identifying-neotibicen/

(I just made up the name "Niagara Cicada" for O. noveboracensis but I think it fits pretty well)
Posted on June 26, 2020 03:22 AM by upupa-epops upupa-epops

Comments

No comments yet.

Add a Comment

Sign In or Sign Up to add comments