Distinguished from other North American cicadas by its exceptionally small body size (16 mm), among the smallest of any cicada species on the continent. The species exhibits green wings with contrasting body coloration. The calling song—a continuous train of sound pulses at high frequency—can aid detection in the field. May be confused with fulgoroid planthoppers due to its diminutive size, but the cicada-like call confirms its identity.

Prairie habitats, specifically loess hilltop prairies and sand hill prairies. Occurs in open, treeless grassland environments. Dependent on intact prairie ecosystems; described as a prairie obligate.

North America: Great Plains region from Nebraska and Colorado south to Texas and New Mexico. Additional records from Missouri (northwestern, Holt and Atchison Counties), Illinois (sand hill prairies south and west of Peoria), Arkansas, and Arizona. Central American distribution details not specified in available sources.

Males produce a continuous train of sound pulses at high frequency as a calling song. The high-frequency vocalization appears to serve as a predator avoidance strategy: audible to humans but reportedly not detectable by birds and lizards, the primary predators of cicadas. In the open, treeless prairie habitat, this acoustic strategy substitutes for behavioral tactics used by other cicadas (fleeing, hiding, high perching). Calling song enables long-range communication and mate location.

Listed as vulnerable in Missouri due to habitat restriction and dependence on declining prairie ecosystems. Represents the 16th cicada species documented from Missouri. Subject of ecological research on predator avoidance and acoustic communication strategies.

• Cicadetta calliopeSmall prairie cicada occurring in similar Great Plains prairie habitats; sympatric with B. venosa in some locations
• Cicadetta kansaSmall prairie cicada with lime-green coloration; similar habitat preferences in central North America
• Tibicen superbusLarge, conspicuous cicada species found in Missouri; much larger body size and different habitat preferences distinguish it

• cicada
• prairie
• small size
• acoustic communication
• predator avoidance
• Great Plains
• habitat specialist
• vulnerable species
• Missouri
• loess hills
• high-frequency calling song
• endangered ecosystem dependent

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Catalogue of Life
• North America’s smallest cicada | Beetles In The Bush
• Long-Range Sound Distribution and the Calling Song of the Cicada Beameria venosa (Uhler) (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)