Kingdom Animalia Class Insecta Suborder Auchenorrhyncha Rank Species | Phylum Arthropoda Order Hemiptera Infraorder Cicadomorpha | |
 | ||
Przenikliwy d wi k cykady pycna semiclara gaint forest cicada
Pycna semiclara Germar, 1834, is a South African forest-dwelling platypleurine species of cicada.
This is one of the largest cicadas, 40-50mm in length, found in South Africa, with wings displaying green, brown and translucent patches, and covered with silvery hairs (Villet et al. 2003). It is endemic to South Africa, and occurs in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces. It prefers indigenous forests, where undergrowth is sparse and trees are more than 4m tall, but may also be found in stands of Quercus robur, Populus deltoides, pine and eucalyptus.
It is also unusually found in dense riverine bush in KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape. Males usually call from a position a few meters above the ground on a shady limb of a tree, with a good view of the immediate surrounds and potential predators. Males often sing in chorus to attract mates, particularly at dusk and dawn, enabled to do this by an endothermic metabolism which rises to more than 22 °C above ambient temperature. This endothermy during crepuscular hours allows use of optimal atmospheric conditions for acoustic communication and reduces chances of predation to a minimum. The species also produces an encounter call used in courtship and maintaining personal space within choruses, behaving aggressively to other males venturing closer than about 50 cm. Choruses may start up at any time of the day, but concentrate their calling in a half-hour period at dawn and dusk.
Platypleura basifolis