''Neotibicen winnemanna'', commonly called the Eastern scissor(s) grinder, is a species of large bodied

annual Annual may refer to: * Annual publication, periodical publications appearing regularly once per year **Yearbook ** Literary annual * Annual plant * Annual report * Annual giving * Annual, Morocco, a settlement in northeastern Morocco * Annuals (b ...

cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...

in the

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

Neotibicen Cicadas of the genus ''Neotibicen'' are large-bodied insects of the family Cicadidae that appear in summer or early fall in eastern North America. Common names include cicada, harvestfly, jar fly, and the misnomer locust. In 2015, these species ...

''. It is native to the

Eastern United States The Eastern United States, commonly referred to as the American East, Eastern America, or simply the East, is the region of the United States to the east of the Mississippi River. In some cases the term may refer to a smaller area or the East C ...

, particularly the

Piedmont Plateau The Piedmont is a plateau region located in the Eastern United States. It is situated between the Atlantic coastal plain and the main Appalachian Mountains, stretching from New York in the north to central Alabama in the south. The Piedmont ...

and the outlying lower mountainous elevations of the

Appalachians The Appalachian Mountains, often called the Appalachians, (french: Appalaches), are a system of mountains in eastern to northeastern North America. The Appalachians first formed roughly 480 million years ago during the Ordovician Period. They ...

and inner, western portion of the

Atlantic coastal plain The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the "Old World" of Afr ...

Description

''Neotibicen winnemanna'' is very similar to, but ultimately distinguished from, its midwestern and coastal counterparts, ''

Neotibicen pruinosus ''Neotibicen pruinosus'', commonly known as the scissor grinder, is a species of cicada in the family Cicadidae. Distribution and Habitat The scissor grinder occurs in most of the eastern United States. It is common in wooded areas, often with ...

'' and ''

Neotibicen latifasciatus ''Neotibicen latifasciatus'', commonly called Coastal scissor grinder cicada, is a species of annual cicada in the genus ''Neotibicen''. See also * ''Neotibicen pruinosus ''Neotibicen pruinosus'', commonly known as the scissor grinder, is a ...

'', respectively. The males of each of the three species share a highly similar mating call, characterized by a crescendo of continuous pulsation. A characteristic that can distinguish ''N. winnemanna'' from the other two similar-sounding scissor grinder cicadas is its range; ''N. winnemanna'' occupies a swath of land roughly approximating the Appalachian Mountains from southern

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in the north to northern

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

and central

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

to the south. ''N. winnemanna'' populations do not appear to be common in

maritime forest A maritime forest is an ocean coastal wooded habitat found on higher ground than dune areas within range of salt spray. They can be found along the Atlantic and Pacific Northwest coasts of the United States. They can also be found in areas of So ...

s or other coastal vegetation, distinguishing them from ''N. latifasciatus'', though they may approach the inland coastal waterways of the

East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, the Atlantic Coast, and the Atlantic Seaboard, is the coastline along which the Eastern United States meets the North Atlantic Ocean. The eastern seaboard contains the coa ...

, such as

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

and

bay A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...

s. However, distinguishing from ''N. pruinosus'' may be more difficult, particularly in terms of range and in areas in the upper

Southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

in which certain populations of the two species may overlap, with potential gradations between ''N. winnemanna'' and ''N. pruinosus''. The call of ''N. winnemanna'' males itself is characterized by a loud, pulsating buzz lasting about twenty seconds per call with between one and two pulsations per second of alternating pitch interspersed and at a frequency that gradually crescendos until tapering off into a low, soft buzz. They commonly call from the upper branches of

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

trees, particularly at dusk. ''N. winnemanna'' is an annual cicada, meaning they emerge from the ground each year, generally between June and September, with a peak generally in September. ''Neotibicen winnemanna'' is typically distinct from ''

Neotibicen linnei ''Neotibicen linnei'', commonly called Linne's cicada, is a species of large bodied annual cicada in the genus ''Neotibicen''. It is native to the Eastern United States and Canada. ''N. linnei'' in Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, ...

'', Linne's cicada, the range of which overlaps somewhat with that of ''N. winnemanna'', though Reynolds (2008) speculates that some of the physical characteristics of ''N. linnei'', such as its bowing of the costae (the leading edges of its wings) and elongation of the opercula (the covers on its underside of its tympanae, or eardrums), are similar to those of ''N. winnemanna'' on account of possible

hybridization Hybridization (or hybridisation) may refer to: *Hybridization (biology), the process of combining different varieties of organisms to create a hybrid *Orbital hybridization, in chemistry, the mixing of atomic orbitals into new hybrid orbitals *Nu ...

between the species. As a result, suspected hybrid populations exist, though such hybridization has not been positively verified.

References

External links

Scissors Grinders at Cicada Mania
– Discussing and distinguishing between the scissor grinder cicada species {{Taxonbar, from=Q107628551 Hemiptera of North America Insects described in 1912 Cryptotympanini