Tanna japonensis
Encyclopedia
Tanna japonensis, also called , is a species
of cicada
, a family of insect
s, and a member of the genus Tanna
. It is distributed throughout East Asia
, and is most common in Japan
. Its shrill call can be heard most often in the morning and evening.
Its kanji
name is derived from the character for Miscanthus
, a type of reed that it inhabits. In Japan, it is also known as because of the noise that it makes.
of the male is more developed, giving it a more resonant
call.
The body is coloured reddish-brown with green around the compound eye and in the centre and back of the thorax
; mountain dwelling specimens tend to be darker.
In Japan, their habitat ranges from temperate
Hokkaidō
in the far North to Subtropical Amami Ōshima
, close to Taiwan
(variants and subspecies, such as T. j. ishigakiana), and live in a wide range of habitats. Outside of Japan, they live throughout China. It was previously believed that they also lived in the Korean peninsula, but this was a clerical error. They live in the cypress
, cedar and hardwood
forests, from the mountainous regions in Hokkaido to the plains of northern Kyūshū, and even in Southern Kyūshū they can be found in slightly higher mountain elevations.
The parasitic moth
Epipomponia nawai
uses the animal as a host for its eggs.
The T. japonensis can also come under attack from flesh flies
.
The males call with a distinctive, melancholy sound of "KIKIKIKIKI", "KEKEKEKEKE" and "CANNAT KANAKANA ...". This occurs before sunrise, and they often sing at twilight or after sunset, in dusk, when the temperature has dropped, or when it becomes cloudy. The call changes with temperature, being correlated with the firing rate of the tymbal
nerve
.
In Japan, the sound is popularly associated with melancholy, and it has been the subject of literature, and television shows, such as "Summer Evening" and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
, feature it as a sound effect or a plot point. Their call is quite loud, but does not carry well over distance.
, an island in Okinawa. Though once listed on the red list, they are no longer thought to be endangered. Their cry is a more metallic sound with a faster tempo.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of cicada
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...
, a family of insect
Insect
Insects are a class of living creatures within the arthropods that have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body , three pairs of jointed legs, compound eyes, and two antennae...
s, and a member of the genus Tanna
Tanna (cicada)
Tanna is a genus of cicadas. This genus has different eight species. The eight species are:*Tanna infuscata*Tanna japonensis*Tanna karenkonis*Tanna ornatipennis*Tanna sayurie*Tanna sozanensis*Tanna taipinensis...
. It is distributed throughout East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, and is most common in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Its shrill call can be heard most often in the morning and evening.
Its kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
name is derived from the character for Miscanthus
Miscanthus
Miscanthus is a genus of about 15 species of perennial grasses native to subtropical and tropical regions of Africa and southern Asia, with one species Miscanthus is a genus of about 15 species of perennial grasses native to subtropical and tropical regions of Africa and southern Asia, with one...
, a type of reed that it inhabits. In Japan, it is also known as because of the noise that it makes.
Characteristics
The adult male has a body length of 28–38 mm (1.1–1.5 in), the female is 21–25 mm (0.826771653543307–0.984251968503937 in). The male's abdomen is longer and thicker than that of the female, making it easy to distinguish between them. In addition, the intra-abdominal cavityAbdominal cavity
The abdominal cavity is the body cavity of the human body that holds the bulk of the viscera. It is located below the thoracic cavity, and above the pelvic cavity. Its dome-shaped roof is the thoracic diaphragm , and its oblique floor is the pelvic inlet...
of the male is more developed, giving it a more resonant
Resonance
In physics, resonance is the tendency of a system to oscillate at a greater amplitude at some frequencies than at others. These are known as the system's resonant frequencies...
call.
The body is coloured reddish-brown with green around the compound eye and in the centre and back of the thorax
Thorax
The thorax is a division of an animal's body that lies between the head and the abdomen.-In tetrapods:...
; mountain dwelling specimens tend to be darker.
Habitat
Variants of T. japonensis are common in Southern Hokkaido, in a wide range of habitats. They proliferate in China, but not the Korean Peninsula. They inhabit the cedar, cypress and hardwood forests from northern Hokkaido to Kyushu, from the mountains to the plains. In southern Kyushu, they live in the lower mountainous regions.In Japan, their habitat ranges from temperate
Humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot summers and cold winters....
Hokkaidō
Hokkaido
, formerly known as Ezo, Yezo, Yeso, or Yesso, is Japan's second largest island; it is also the largest and northernmost of Japan's 47 prefectural-level subdivisions. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaido from Honshu, although the two islands are connected by the underwater railway Seikan Tunnel...
in the far North to Subtropical Amami Ōshima
Amami Oshima
is a semi-tropical island in the Amami Islands, which is part of the larger Nansei Islands in Japan. Ōshima literally means big island, and it is the largest of the Amami Islands. It lies roughly halfway between the islands of Okinawa and Kyūshū. Briefly part of the Ryūkyū Kingdom, in 1624 it was...
, close to Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
(variants and subspecies, such as T. j. ishigakiana), and live in a wide range of habitats. Outside of Japan, they live throughout China. It was previously believed that they also lived in the Korean peninsula, but this was a clerical error. They live in the cypress
Cypress
Cypress is the name applied to many plants in the cypress family Cupressaceae, which is a conifer of northern temperate regions. Most cypress species are trees, while a few are shrubs...
, cedar and hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
forests, from the mountainous regions in Hokkaido to the plains of northern Kyūshū, and even in Southern Kyūshū they can be found in slightly higher mountain elevations.
Ecology
Moth
A moth is an insect closely related to the butterfly, both being of the order Lepidoptera. Moths form the majority of this order; there are thought to be 150,000 to 250,000 different species of moth , with thousands of species yet to be described...
Epipomponia nawai
Epipyropidae
Epipyropidae is a small family of moths. This family and the closely related Cyclotornidae are unique among the Lepidoptera in that the larvae are ectoparasites, the hosts typically being fulgoroid planthoppers, thus the common name Planthopper Parasite Moths.-References:*...
uses the animal as a host for its eggs.
The T. japonensis can also come under attack from flesh flies
Flesh-fly
Flies of the Diptera family Sarcophagidae are commonly known as flesh flies. Most flesh flies breed in carrion, dung, or decaying material, but a few species lay their eggs in the open wounds of mammals; hence their common name...
.
Call
The peak time for hearing T. japonensis is from autumn onwards, but they can also be heard at the end of summer in some regions. From September until mid-October, their calls can be heard almost every day.The males call with a distinctive, melancholy sound of "KIKIKIKIKI", "KEKEKEKEKE" and "CANNAT KANAKANA ...". This occurs before sunrise, and they often sing at twilight or after sunset, in dusk, when the temperature has dropped, or when it becomes cloudy. The call changes with temperature, being correlated with the firing rate of the tymbal
Tymbal
Tymbal is a term for a corrugated exoskeletal structure used to produce sounds in insects. In male cicadas, the tymbals are membranes in the abdomen, responsible for the characteristic sound produced by the insect...
nerve
Nerve
A peripheral nerve, or simply nerve, is an enclosed, cable-like bundle of peripheral axons . A nerve provides a common pathway for the electrochemical nerve impulses that are transmitted along each of the axons. Nerves are found only in the peripheral nervous system...
.
In Japan, the sound is popularly associated with melancholy, and it has been the subject of literature, and television shows, such as "Summer Evening" and Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
Higurashi no Naku Koro ni
, known simply as When They Cry for the North American release of the anime adaptation, is a Japanese murder mystery dōjin soft sound novel series produced by 07th Expansion. The games are built on the NScripter game engine and are playable on Microsoft Windows PCs...
, feature it as a sound effect or a plot point. Their call is quite loud, but does not carry well over distance.
Tanna japonensis ishigakiana Kato, 1960
This variant is found in IshigakiIshigaki, Okinawa
Ishigaki is an island west of Okinawa Hontō and the second-largest island of the Yaeyama Island group. It is within the City of Ishigaki in Okinawa Prefecture. The city functions as the business and transport center of the archipelago...
, an island in Okinawa. Though once listed on the red list, they are no longer thought to be endangered. Their cry is a more metallic sound with a faster tempo.