Carineta diardi (Guerin-Meneville, 1829)

Acosta, Riuler C., Ruschel, Tatiana P. & Kaminski, Lucas A., 2023, Flying singers: spatio-temporal distribution and acoustic dynamics of two species of Carinetini (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) cicadas in sympatry, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society XX, pp. 1-12 : 4-5

Carineta diardi (colourful-cicada)

The colourful-cicada is a fully canopy species. This cicada emits signals and copulates at heights> 2 m ( Fig. 1 ), with the field temperature ranging between 16°C and 21°C, although it sometimes performs low flights up to 2 m of the ground. Males were observed singing the calling song on the trees of various native and non-native plant families, such as Anacardiaceae , Moraceae , Pinaceae , and Sapindaceae . A pair formation was seen when a male landed on a leaf of Hovenia dulcis (a nonnative tree of Rhamnaceae ) where a female was standing. No acoustic signal was heard and while the female remained fixed on the lower side of the leaf, the male attached his genitalia in a typical end-to-end position and then retracted his legs ( Fig. 1C ), remaining immobile until the female took flight. This was the only observed copulation at the study site and it lasted 5 min.

The C. diardi is widely distributed in the Atlantic Forest from north-eastern Brazil (Bahia) to Paraguay, Argentina (Misiones), and southern Brazil ( Sanborn 2011, Núñez-Bustos 2016) ( Fig. 3A ). It occurs from sea level to some montane areas (from 400 to 1300 m a.s.l.) in south-eastern (São Paulo and Minas Gerais) and central Brazil (Brasília, DF) ( Fig 3B ).

Based on our observations, emergence in southern Brazil usually happens in September (spring in the southern hemisphere), followed by a short adult life, which can last just under 2 weeks. In just a few days, there were no more individuals singing or flying ( Fig. 4A ). Citizen science data for this species indicate that scattered individuals may emerge in autumn in south-eastern Brazil (São Paulo) (September to November) and Argentina (Misiones) (March to June).

Carineta diardi (colourful-cicada)

This species has a repertoire composed by flying song (N = 8) and calling song (N = 8) ( Fig. 5 ). The acoustic activity of the species occurs between 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. The flying song ( Fig. 5A ) is composed of a train of clicks, which are emitted throughout the time the male keeps flying. These clicks, or echemes, are emitted at values of 12 ± 3 (8–19) while the individual remains suspended in the air. The calling song ( Fig. 5B ) was emitted when the males were perched, usually on leaves. The signal has a smaller duration of 0.06 ± 0.01 s (0.003 – 0.143 s) ( Table 2 ). Significant differences were detected between flying and calling songs in the peak frequency (Mann–Whitney test, U = 1496, P <.05) and echeme duration (Mann–Whitney test, U = 115, P <.05).

Figures

Figure 1. Habitat and adults of Carineta diardi (Cicadidae: Carinetini) in southern Brazil.A, general view of habitat of C. diardi, flying in the forest canopy and edge. B, male adult in a call site.C, end-to-end copulation position at lower surface of leave on canopy, note the male with the legs retracted on the outside of the leaf.D, a perching female.

Figure 3. Spatial distribution of Carineta diardi and Guaranisaria llanoi (Cicadidae:Carinetini) at regional and local scale in the South America. A, map of the Atlantic Forest and Pampa biomes showing the distribution of C. diardi (blue circles) and G. llanoi (orange circles).B, schematic illustration of the flying trajectory and use of stratum by males of C. diardi (solid blue line) along the forest canopy and edge, and G. llanoi (solid orange line) between Eryngium horridum (Apiaceae) plants in the open habitats.

Figure 4. Occurrence of Carineta diardi and Guaranisaria llanoi (Cicadidae: Carinetini) adults throughout the year. A, C. diardi (N = 336). B, G.llanoi (N = 10). Observations by iNaturalist with Research Grade filter.

Figure 5. Acoustic repertoire of the Carineta diardi (Cicadidae:Carinetini). A, flying song, with an echeme group. B, calling song. C, part of the flying song. D, part of the calling song.