Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hemiptera
Suborder: Auchenorrhyncha
Infraorder: Cicadomorpha
Superfamily: Cicadoidea
Family: Cicadidae
Genus: Amphipsalta
Species: Amphipsalta zealandica
Common name: Chorus cicada,
Only males make the chorus. The adult male cicada possesses two ribbed membranes called tymbals, one on each side of its first abdominal segment. By contracting the tymbal muscle, the cicada buckles the membrane inward, producing a loud click. As the membrane snaps back, it clicks again. The two tymbals click alternately.
Air sacs in the hollow abdominal cavity amplify the clicking sounds. The vibration travels through the body to the tympani, which amplify the sound further.
Chorus cicadas are found all over the North Island.They are also found in coastal areas of the South Island except for Dunedin north to about Timaru and Stewart Island.
Photos of a subterranean cicada nymph emerging as an adult cicada
Listen to an interesting talk byJohn Early of the Auckland Museum on cicadas
When the page opens click on the graphic
to hear.
The sound of the Amphipsalta zealandica (Thanks to Cicada Central)
Photos below are of the Chorus cicada, Amphipsalta zealandica
They can be identified by checking their wing base where there is a small turquoise patch.
The dorsal view of the abdomen
The ventral view of the abdomen.
The Chorus cicada's, valvlae and ovipositor
The wing veins.
A blue membrane at base of the wings
A video showing how a cicada oviposits.eggs. Not Amphipsalta zealandica
A cicada nymph shedding its skin. The chorus empty case is a bright brown colour. The clapping cicadas empty case is a pale colour.
Thanks to Wikipedia for text and information: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
