[NatureNS] Cicada Experts Needed

Date: Mon, 18 Sep 2006 15:35:45 -0300
From: "Andrew Hebda" <HEBDAAJ@gov.ns.ca>
To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca>
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The two species that have been confirmed here, based on Museum
Collections are Tibicen pruinosa and Okanagana rimosa.

If you have any others, we would be delighted to examine the images or
see the specimens.

Andrew

A Hebda
Curator of Zoology 
Nova Scotia Museum

>>> Clarence Stevens <birder_ca@yahoo.com> 9/18/2006 3:12 PM >>>

Hi All, I am back in Manitoba where I have been carrying out bird
surveys for
most of the year. Several Nova Scotian birders are semi-famous and well
liked
out here including birder/part time comedian Don MacNeill, birding guru
Ian
Mclaren, bander deceased but not forgotten Ross Anderson and
birder/naturalist
Peter Austin-Smith.  

Today I am trying to identify a picture of a cicada that was crawling
around
this weekend in NS. 

Tentatively I have identified it as Tibicen canicularis for the
following four
reasons : 

1. a quick "eyeball inspection" of its body markings reveals an
individual that
looks either identical or very similar to this species.

2. this species is commonly known as Havestfly as it is often active
and even
heard calling during the fall harvest times.

3. I am pretty sure I have identified this species in the past in Nova
Scotia
during the summer months. 

Note : Another common name is the Dog Day Cicada or Dogday Harvestfly
as adults
often start calling during the dog days of  summer.  Mature males sing
from
August through late September or early October. 

4. Tibicen canicularis is a species whose range I believe includes NS 

However there may be as many as 150 species of cicadas found in North
America
indicating that there may be other very similar species in NS. So my
questions
for the cicada experts are as follows :

1. What species of cicadas can be and/or have been found in NS ? 
2. What species of cicadas would be active in NS as late as
mid-September ?
3. While I believe this species is common in NS, how common and
widespread is
Tibicen canicularis ?

Any help anyone can render will be appreciated. - cheers, Clarence 

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