Diversity, distribution and phenology of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) in Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula)

Abstract

True cicadas (Cicadidae) are insects with a juvenile phase spent belowground, a long life cycle and audible songs, that are important in the trophic networks of terrestrial ecosystems. Despite the interest they arouse, historical information in the Iberian Peninsula, and more specifically in Catalonia, is scarce. The catalogue of Hemipteran by Martorell y Peña (1879) cited seven species. After that date, cicadas received very little attention until the 21st century. The information accumulated in recent years allowed us to study the diversity, distribution and phenology of the group. To this end, a bibliographic search was carried out using the academic search engines, and the data hosted at ornitho.cat website was analysed for the period 2006-2020 (N= 3468 records). The catalogue of cicadas of Catalonia presented here contains 12 species, a number comparable to that of other European territories: Cicadinae Lyristes plebejus Scopoli, 1763, Cicada orni Linné, 1758, C. barbara Stal, 1866 (introduced non-native) and Cicadatra atra Olivier, 1790; Tibicininae Tibicina haematodes Scopoli, 1763, T. quadrisignata Hagen, 1855, T. garricola Boulard, 1983 and T. tomentosa Olivier, 1790; and Cicadettinae Cicadetta petryi Schumacher, 1924, Hilaphura varipes Waltl, 1837, Euryphara dubia Rambur, 1840 and Tettigettalna argentata Olivier, 1790. We provide species richness and distribution maps in 5 × 5 km UTM grids, altitudinal distribution and phenology diagrams for the most common species, as well as original illustrations to support identification. This work shows the potential of citizen science to expand the knowledge of a scarcely studied group of insects and establishes a baseline scenario on which to base future studies of the distribution and ecology of cicadas.