Psaltoda plaga
Encyclopedia
Psaltoda plaga, commonly known as the black prince, is a species of cicada
and one of Australia
's most familiar insects.
The black prince was originally described by German naturalist Ernst Friedrich Germar
in 1834 as Cicada argentata, and later transferred to Psaltoda. it was known widely as Psaltoda argentata, but the combination was ruled invalid as the binomial Cicada argentata had been originally used for a European cicada now known as Cicadetta argentata. Thus, the name became Psaltoda plaga after a description by Walker as Cicada plaga in 1850.
The colour of adult male black prince varies with age and locality. Around Sydney north to the Hunter River, it is very dark, predominantly black, with some brown markings; the abdomen black above and brown below. The eyes are brown. Further north, the black prince exhibits more green markings instead of brown, and is lighter overall in coloration. The female is similar but slightly smaller than the male.
The black prince is found from the vicinity of Maryborough
in Queensland through eastern New South Wales to Bega on the state's south coast. It may occur locally in massive numbers, with swarms of cicadas in some summers. Some permanent water such as rivers and swamps is a prerequisite for habitat, and trees preferred include broad-leaved paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia
), mangroves, and river sheoak (Casuarina cunninghamiana
), as well as rough-barked apple (Angophora floribunda
), English sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and weeping willow (Salix babylonica). Cicadas will perch on branches rather than the trunk.
There are two components of the call; a rhythmic revving, which is more prevalent when the weather is cooler, and a continuous call, more common in hot weather.
The cicada spends seven years underground in nymph form drinking sap from the roots of plants before emerging from the earth as an adult. Species on which it feeds include weeping willow, river sheoak, rough-barked apple and various eucalypts. The adults, which live for four weeks, fly around, mate, and breed over the summer.
The black prince is also preyed upon by the cicada killer wasp (Exeirus lateritius), which stings and paralyses the cicada before storing it in its burrow with the wasp egg, and larva which awakes and consumes the hapless insect.
Cicada
A cicada is an insect of the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha , in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with large eyes wide apart on the head and usually transparent, well-veined wings. There are about 2,500 species of cicada around the world, and many of them remain unclassified...
and one of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
's most familiar insects.
The black prince was originally described by German naturalist Ernst Friedrich Germar
Ernst Friedrich Germar
Ernst Friedrich Germar was a German professor and director of the Mineralogical Museum at Halle. As well as being a mineralogist he was interested in entomology and particularly in the Coleoptera and Hemiptera. He monographed the heteropteran family Scutelleridae.Amongst Germar’s publications...
in 1834 as Cicada argentata, and later transferred to Psaltoda. it was known widely as Psaltoda argentata, but the combination was ruled invalid as the binomial Cicada argentata had been originally used for a European cicada now known as Cicadetta argentata. Thus, the name became Psaltoda plaga after a description by Walker as Cicada plaga in 1850.
The colour of adult male black prince varies with age and locality. Around Sydney north to the Hunter River, it is very dark, predominantly black, with some brown markings; the abdomen black above and brown below. The eyes are brown. Further north, the black prince exhibits more green markings instead of brown, and is lighter overall in coloration. The female is similar but slightly smaller than the male.
The black prince is found from the vicinity of Maryborough
Maryborough, Queensland
Maryborough is a city located on the Mary River in South East Queensland, Australia, approximately north of the state capital, Brisbane. The city is serviced by the Bruce Highway, and has a population of approximately 22,000 . It is closely tied to its neighbour city Hervey Bay which is...
in Queensland through eastern New South Wales to Bega on the state's south coast. It may occur locally in massive numbers, with swarms of cicadas in some summers. Some permanent water such as rivers and swamps is a prerequisite for habitat, and trees preferred include broad-leaved paperbark (Melaleuca quinquenervia
Melaleuca quinquenervia
Melaleuca quinquenervia, commonly known as Niaouli or Broad-leaved paperbark or the Paper Bark Tea Tree, is a small- to medium-sized tree of the allspice family, Myrtaceae. The plant is native to New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and coastal Eastern Australia, from Botany Bay in New South Wales...
), mangroves, and river sheoak (Casuarina cunninghamiana
Casuarina cunninghamiana
Casuarina cunninghamiana is a she-oak species of the genus Casuarina. The native range extends from Daly River in the Northern Territory, north and east in Queensland and eastern New South Wales.-Description:...
), as well as rough-barked apple (Angophora floribunda
Angophora floribunda
Angophora floribunda is a common woodland and forest tree of Eastern Australia and is known by a variety of names including Rough-barked apple, Apple box, Rusty gum, and Boondah....
), English sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) and weeping willow (Salix babylonica). Cicadas will perch on branches rather than the trunk.
There are two components of the call; a rhythmic revving, which is more prevalent when the weather is cooler, and a continuous call, more common in hot weather.
The cicada spends seven years underground in nymph form drinking sap from the roots of plants before emerging from the earth as an adult. Species on which it feeds include weeping willow, river sheoak, rough-barked apple and various eucalypts. The adults, which live for four weeks, fly around, mate, and breed over the summer.
The black prince is also preyed upon by the cicada killer wasp (Exeirus lateritius), which stings and paralyses the cicada before storing it in its burrow with the wasp egg, and larva which awakes and consumes the hapless insect.