Okanagana Distant 1905

Okanagana Distant, 1905

Fig. 1 (A. dorsal habitus, B. male genitalia, right lateral view, C. timbal, D. female genitalia, ventral view, E. female genitalia, right lateral view)

Type Species: Cicada rimosa Say, 1830

Included Species: annulata Davis, 1935, arboraria Wymore, 1934, arctostaphylae Van Duzee, 1915, aurantiaca Davis, 1917b, aurora Davis, 1936, balli Davis, 1919, bella Davis, 1919, canescens Van Duzee, 1915, cruentifera (Uhler, 1892), ferrugomaculata Davis, 1936, formosa Davis, 1926, fratercula Davis, 1915, fumipennis Davis, 1932, georgi Heath & Sanborn, 2007, gibbera Davis, 1927, hirsuta * Davis, 1915, luteobasalis Davis, 1935, magnifica Davis, 1919, mariposa mariposa Davis, 1915, mariposa oregonensis Davis, 1939, napa Davis, 1919, nigrodorsata Davis, 1923, noveboracensis (Emmons, 1854), occidentalis (Walker in Lord, 1866), opacipennis Davis, 1927, oregona Davis, 1916, orithyia Bliven, 1964, ornata Van Duzee, 1915, rhadine Bliven, 1964, rimosa rimosa (Say, 1830), rimosa ohioensis Davis, 1942, rubrobasalis Davis, 1926 stat. rev., salicicola Bliven, 1964, schaefferi Davis, 1915, sequoiae Bliven, 1964, sperata Van Duzee, 1935, sugdeni Davis, 1938, synodica synodica (Say, 1825), synodica nigra Davis, 1944, tanneri Davis, 1935, triangulata Davis, 1915, tristis Van Duzee, 1915, vandykei Van Duzee, 1915, venusta Davis, 1935, villosa Davis, 1941, vocalis Bliven, 1964, wymorei Davis, 1935, yakimaensis Davis, 1939.

Etymology: The name is derived from the Syilx Okanagan people(s) or the Okanagan Valley of British Columbia. Feminine.

Distribution: Okanagana are found throughout the United States and Canada with a single species, O. aurantiaca, endemic to Baja California, México. Species diversity is highest in Southern California (Davis 1917b; Sanborn & Phillips 2013).

Redescription: Males and females are similar to members of the genus Tibicinoides. Inter-species body size is highly variable with some intra-specific variation. Head: The width of the head and eyes is usually equal to subequal the width of the apical pronotal margin. The clypeus is variably pronounced. The center of the vertex has an epicranial suture; sulcate or not, marked or not. Thorax: The pronotal margins are subquadrate to apically constricted with a longitudinal sulcus of varying depth running along the midline. There are two bilateral fissures that run inwards towards the center of the pronotum at an anterior-posterior angle. The humeral and apical angles are distinct or not. The cruciform elevation is located directly anterior to the hind margin of the mesonotum. The anterior lateral sides of the mesonotum may show vestigial stridulatory grooves. The posterior edge of the metanotum is visible. Wings: Both fore and hind wings are hyaline, and the basal membranes are variable in color but typically orange. The fore wing length is 2.5–3 times the width, with 8 apical cells. The trapezoidal-shaped radial cell reaches the costal node halfway along length of costa, and the ratio of apical cell to ulnar cell length is approximately 1:1. The hind wing has 6 apical cells with a typical branched CuA vein (Fig. 2A). The wing venation is usually dark, with species-specific exceptions. Legs: Metacoxa with a meracanthus with a distinct triangular shape, typically as long or longer than the coxa. Metatibiae with spines, all other tibiae without spines. Abdomen: Timbals completely exposed. Timbal membrane with 3–11 long ribs spaced with short ribs (e.g. Fig. 2C). In females there is no vertical gap between tergite VII and tergite VIII and epipleurite VII is usually longer in length compared to epipleurite VI (Fig. 2D–E).

Male Genitalia: Sternite VII in males is variably shaped, covering the base of sternite VIII (=valve). Sternite VIII extends parallel to the length of the body, partially housing the uncus and aedeagus. The uncus has its dorsal and lateral margins variably shaped from parallel to with a bulge. From the dorsal aspect the tip of the uncus is bulbous or not, excavated or not: a species-specific feature. The uncus never has a hooked tip (as in Figs. 1C–D, 3B) though in the lateral aspect there may be a slight point in some species.

Female Genitalia: Sternite VII is variably excavated on its posterior margin, forming a primary notch with a secondary notch in the center of the primary (Fig. 2D). Both excavations are seldom rounded in their entirety, often forming distinct angles between the primary and secondary notch. The secondary notch may be rounded or distinctly V-shaped (if clear). The sides of sternite VII form rounded apical prongs that vary in shape. Both traits are often species-specific.

Diagnosis: The visible posterior margin of the metanotum and the trapezoidal-shaped radial cell that reaches the costal node halfway along length of the costa identify the genus to Okanagana, Tibicinoides, Chlorocanta gen. nov., or Hewlettia gen. nov.. Males may be identified to genus by the uncovered timbals with more than two long ribs (e.g. Fig. 2C) and an uncus without a distinct ventroapical hook (Fig. 2B).

Most female Okanagana can be diagnosed by the absence of a vertical gap between tergite VII and tergite VIII, which gives females a streamlined appearance in the lateral aspect (Fig. 2E) rather than the hump-backed look of female Tibicinoides (Fig. 3E). There are some exceptions to this, which can be the result of rough handling during collecting. The diagnosis can be confirmed by looking at the relative lengths of epipleurite VI and VII and the excavation of sternite VII. In Okanagana females epipleurite VII is distinctly longer than VI when in Tibicinoides they are subequal in length (Fig. 2D). Sternite VII is variably excavated on its posterior margin, forming a primary notch with a secondary notch in the center of the primary (Fig. 2D). In Okanagana the primary and secondary notches are seldom completely rounded and often form a distinct angle: Tibicinoides females have both the primary and secondary notches rounded and never have distinct angles between the two. In Okanagana the notch may also be V-shaped, which is never seen in Tibicinoides. As with Tibicinoides, the best way to identify females is by gestalt, which becomes easier with increasing familiarity.

This paper describes two additional genera: Chlorocanta gen. nov. and Hewlettia gen. nov. Male Chlorocanta gen. nov. can be separated from Okanagana by the presence of an uncus without a hook (Fig. 8B) but only two long timbal ribs on the timbal membrane (Fig. 8E). Females of this genus can be diagnosed by their green color (yellowish when faded); a feature unshared by other Okanagana except O. aurantiaca, which possesses a black longitudinal dorsal stripe on the abdomen. Male and female Hewlettia gen. nov. can be distinguished entirely by the green and black patterning across the body and the presence of 5 rather than 6 apical cells on the hind wing (Fig. 9A).

*We include hirsuta with Okanagana based on examination of a male specimen in the UCDC collection, which lacks HU. The uncus morphology was omitted in the original species description, which was based on a single female specimen (Davis 1915). T. catalina, which does possess a HU and for which a male type was available, was initially described as a subspecies of hirsuta (Davis 1936), before being elevated to species level by Miller (1985).