Cicada orni Linnaeus, 1758

Hertach, Thomas & Nagel, Peter, 2013, Cicadas in Switzerland: ascientific overview of the historic and current knowledge of apopular taxon (Hemiptera: Cicadidae), Revue suisse de Zoologie 120 (2), pp. 229-269 : 237-241

Cicada orni Linnaeus, 1758

German common name: Mannazikade (e.g. Remane & Wachmann, 1993; Schedl, 2000)

French common name: La Cigale de l’orne ( Pillet, 1993)

DISTRIBUTION (Fig. 3)

Cicada orni is the most popular European cicada due to its remarkable chorus song and its wide distribution area. If Swiss non-scientists speak about cicadas they normally refer to this species.

Fuesslin (1775) knew C. orni from the Valais as “very abundant”. Saussure (1780) wrote that C. orni is completely missing in the Geneva region and provides herewith an interesting absence record in very old literature. Labram &Imhoff(1845) reported it from the most southern parts of Switzerland where it was locally abundant. Curti (1846) thought C. orni to be restricted to Ticino, some parts of Grisons and found occasionally in the Valais. Seiler (1847) listed the species as uncommon for the Canton of Schaffhausen, but we doubt its validity since he does not report Cicadetta montana s. l. Hagen (1856a) cites Bremi who has found it as the most common species in Ticino. Tschudi (1872) listed Cicada orni as abundant in both Ticino and Valais with arecord altitude of “ 3800 feet ” (≈ 1150 ma.s.l.) for the upper Valais. Rougemont (1880, p. 33) mentioned “un charivari vraiment méridional” at Fully (VS) (= atrue Mediterranean pandemonium). Bugnion (1890) described the species as very common from Martigny (VS) to Sierre (VS), but missing at Montreux (VD) and Lausanne (VD). Stoll (1901) repeated the occurrence in the Valais and Ticino and added aremarkable observation

FIG. 2

Three species of the genus Tibicina deposited in Swiss Museum collections: T. quadrisignata (� on the top, Valais, 1928, leg. Cerutti, MZLS), T. steveni [� in the middle, Sierre (VS), leg. Maerky, MHNG] and T. haematodes [� below, “Pt. Butin” (GE), 1943, leg. Schauenberg, MHNG]. Bar = 1 cm.

by Dr. Ris on a Manna Ash (Fraxinus ornus) from the city of Zurich (“Kantonsschule”), which seems reliable. Another two records far away from the known range have been published from Mont Vully (FR) (Musée d’histoire naturelle Fribourg, 2004) registered in the 1960’s (Beaud, pers. comm.) and from Vevey (VD) (1976;

FIG. 3

Distribution map of Cicada orni (top) including the data source for the records presented (below).

Barbey,2010). Bille (1982) probably refers to C. orni when writing that the fabulous concert can sporadically be heard in the Lake Geneva Basin and at the southern base of the Jura Mountains. Many of the older records are not clearly localized but are normally overlapping with regions with many recent observations. The distribution map for the Valais provided by Pillet (1993) is very detailed and even presents two abundance classes. Among 104 sufficiently labelled specimens identified in collections during the present study,90 originate from the Valais, 8from the Mesocco Valley (GR) and only 6 from Ticino. Eight of them are remarkable with respect to the current distribution: Grono (GR) (1883, four specimens, NHMB), Roveredo (GR) (1922, NHMB), Brig (VS) (1929 and 1980, NHMB), Valle Morobbia (TI) (1937, ETHZ). We consider avoucher labelled solely “Aarau” (AG, NAAG) doubtful.

The current distribution area is well known and almost congruent with the historical data. C. orni populations are restricted to the lower Valais from Martigny to Sierre, the most southern parts of Ticino (South of Lugano) and to abelt extending from the lowest Centovalli (TI) along the northern slope of the Piano di Magadino (TI) to the Mesocco Valley (GR). The species is locally common.

Local observers indicate for example for Grono and Roveredo (Mesocco Valley) that the species has appeared only the last few years. According to voucher specimens collected at the end of the 19 th and at the beginning of the 20 th centuries, it is therefore more accurate to speak about asupposedly re-colonisation.

Similar to older observations, isolated singers sporadically appear outside the continuous distribution area as far as south-western Germany (Nickel, 2003), often in urban areas and gain remarkable publicity: Murten ( FR) (25.6.2003; Musée d’histoire naturelle Fribourg, 2004), Lausanne ( VD) (13. and 19.7.2010; Ducret, 2010 and Bertaudon/Barros, pers. comm.), Epalinges ( VD) (July 2010; Alexander,pers. comm.), Binningen ( BL) (2.8.2010; Blattner,pers. comm.), Sursee ( LU) (9.7.2011; Birrer,pers.

comm.) and Ste-Croix above Yverdon (VD) (August 2011; Burnier,pers. comm.). In the Geneva agglomeration, the records have accumulated in amanner that suggests the establishment of asmall new population (see also Hollier,2012). Weassembled eleven reliable observations between 2003 and 2011in this region, eight communicated by naturalists (Prosenc, Hollier, Dandliker, pers. comm.), two printed in newspapers ( Grosjean, 2008; Nikolic, 2010) and one even broadcasted on national television ( Radio Télévision Suisse Romande, 2010). Some of these isolated singers have probably been transported as larvae in the root balls of plants, as is the case for the Murten (FR) specimens, which were introduced with olive trees for an exhibition. Others have reached their singing site on their own, which probably applies to all observations in the Lake of Geneva Basin.

Populations are normally restricted to altitudes below 600 ma.s.l. in Ticino and Grisons and 800 m in the Valais, but solitary singers can exceptionally rise up to 1530 ma.s.l. (La Forclaz, VS; Marchesi, pers. comm.) .

ECOLOGY AND THREAT

Cicada orni is the most eurytopic species of the Swiss cicadas, colonizing manmade habitats such as vineyards along forest edges, woods, hedges and solitary trees and even parks and gardens in urban areas. Nevertheless, some of the most important populations are found in natural habitats of generally high conservation value such as forests dominated by Downy ( Quercus pubescens )and Sessile Oak ( Quercus petraea ) (= Quercion pubescenti-petraeae,see Delarze &Gonseth, 2008) for the Valais and a plant association characterized by Downy Oak, Turkey Oak ( Quercus cerris ), Hop Hornbeam ( Ostrya carpinifolia )and Manna Ash (Fraxinus ornus)for Ticino (= Orno- Ostryon,see Delarze &Gonseth, 2008). A long exposure to the sun is very important for this species, therefore most habitats have south-facing slopes. The distribution area is limited by the less favourable climate in other parts of Switzerland.

Given its habitat associations we assume that C. orni will extend its distribution area if a predicted rise in temperatures will occur. Currently this can probably be observed in the Lake Geneva Basin, where the species obviously did not occur in the 18 th and 19 th century ( Saussure, 1780; Bugnion, 1890). The species is not endangered but we consider it to be important for public awareness and education with respect to bioacoustic experience and climate change.