''Ioba leopardina'' (
Distant, 1881) is an African species of
Cicada. They are 4–5 cm long, including the wings, and with mottled grey cryptic colouration.
According to Distant this species is found almost throughout the
Ethiopian region, but apparently it is absent in
Madagascar. He first published its description under the name ''Poecilopsaltria leopardina'' in "Transactions of the Entomological Society of London" 1881, p. 630. He mentions its occurrence in the
Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal.
* South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...
in the
Lydenburg district, in
Mashonaland
Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe.
Currently, Mashonaland is divided into four provinces,
* Mashonaland West
* Mashonaland Central
* Mashonaland East
* Harare
The Zimbabwean capital of Harare, a province unto itself, lies entirely ...
near
Gadzima, in
Nyasaland at
Zomba and
Fort Johnston and throughout
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
.
The male species produce's a monotonous call of piercing shrillness, and the introductory notes have a distinctive throbbing sound. The females respond by clicking, produced by a flicking of the wings. Distant notes that
Guy Marshall
Guy Marshall (5 November 19093 August 1978) was British Anglican bishop who served as suffragan bishop for Venezuela (then in the Diocese of Trinidad and Tobago). Early life and education
Marshall was the son of Edgar Breedon Marshall and Marion ...
collected specimens from the Machabel tree (''
Brachystegia boehmii
''Brachystegia boehmii'', named after the 19th-century German naturalist and collector Richard Böhm, is a flat-topped tree with spreading crown, native to eastern and southern Africa. It forms an important component of miombo woodland, and occu ...
'' Taub.).
In the vicinity of
Victoria Falls the species is closely associated with
mopane trees, feeding on the roots and emerging after the first rains. They normally call from branches near the middle of the tree, well camouflaged against predators when settled on the rough bark. The communal sound starts up during the heat of day, rises to a peak at dusk and may carry on for several hours after sunset; this calling in concert produces a deafening noise.
The
Marula tree is also favoured for its sap. Cicadas squirt a constant stream of processed sap from the tips of their abdomens, deftly directing the jet away from the tree.
[pers. comm. Martin H. Villet, Rhodes University]
References
External links
Documentary on the ecology of ''Ficus sycomorus''
Hemiptera of Africa
Insects described in 1881
Platypleurini
{{Cicadidae-stub