Tibicen pruinosus Say

Tibicen pruinosus (Say) (Figs. 70, 94–102)

Cicada pruinosa Say 1825: 330. Type locality: no specific location was given by Say. The type was found on the Missouri River and reported as common in Pennsylvania in original description. Holotype is presumably destroyed. Cicada bruneosa Wild 1852: xviii.

Adults first emerge in late-May or early June and can be heard singing until mid-to-late October. The most common collection dates are in August and September. This appears to be a case of the species emerging earlier in the southernmost regions of its distribution. The song is both frequency and amplitude modulated. It has been described as “z-zape, z-zape, z-zape” (Davis 1918; Lawson 1920) or “Za-wie, Za-wie” (Beamer 1928). The song begins and ends as a constant buzz with the frequency and amplitude modulations produced through the majority of the call. The song is 15–30 sec in duration with the modulations produced at 1–3.5 sec–1 (Alexander 1956). The rate of the modulations is presumed to be dependent on body temperature as was found in the closely related (sometimes classified as a subspecies) T. winnemanna (Davis) (Sanborn 1997). A sonagram of the call can be found in Alexander (1956; 1960) and Elliott and Hershberger (2006). Calling normally occurs in the afternoon and evening. Males may call from the same perch for several days (Alexander and Moore 1962). The species is associated with hardwood environments, and appears to have a broad range of potential host trees and has been reported to oviposit in ash (Fraxinus americana L.), walnut (Juglans nigra L.), elm (Ulmus spp.), maple (Acer spp.), and sumac (Rhus spp.) (Beamer 1925; Elzinga 1977).

Like T. linnei, the distributional data for T. pruinosus is limited but the species is apparently associated with the forested interior of the Southeastern Plains and Southern Coastal Plains ecoregions (Fig. 70). Tibicen pruinosus is found over most of the eastern U.S. but has only been collected in Columbia, Hardee, and Hillsborough counties within Florida.