Tibicen auletes Germar

Tibicen auletes (Germar) (Figs. 13, 34–42)

Tettigonia grossa Fabricius 1775: 678.

Cicada auletes Germar 1834: 65. Type locality: Pennsylvania. Location of the holotype specimen is unknown. Fidicina literata Walker 1850: 91.

Cicada sonora Walker 1850: 105.

Cicada marginata [nec Say], Howard 1901: plate XXVIII, Figure 19.

Tibicen auletes first emerge in early June and can be heard singing until early October. The most common collection dates are in August. The song has been described to sound like roller skates being stroked on a sidewalk or a heavy pulsating drone lasting 15–20 sec with a peak frequency around 3.2 kHz (Alexander 1956; Moore 1966; Alexander et al. 1972; Daniel et al. 1993; Elliott and Hershberger 2006). Davis (1918; 1922; 1926) remarked on how quiet the song was for the size of the species. A sonagram of the call can be found in Alexander (1956; 1960) and Elliott and Hershberger (2006). They sing individually during the day but chorus at dusk (Davis 1918; 1922; 1926; Moore 1966; Alexander et al. 1972). The species is associated with rocky ravines and hillsides with oak (Quercus spp.) (Beamer 1928), oak woods in sandy soils (Alexander et al. 1972) and hardwood habitats (Daniel et al. 1993). It has been observed to prefer to oviposit in oak and willow (Salix spp.) (Beamer 1925) and a fifth instar nymph was removed from oak by Beamer (1928).

Tibicen auletes is found in the forested areas primarily in the north and central portion of the state (Fig. 13). It inhabits various divisions of the Southeastern Plains and Southern Coastal Plains ecoregions. The species has been collected in Alachua, Duval, Hillsborough, Jackson, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, Madison, Manatee, Okaloosa, and Volusia counties in Florida. The distributions of the closely related T. figuratus and T. resonans extend further south along the east coast than does the distribution of T. auletes.