Tibicininae

Distant, 1905

Tribe Guides

Tibicininae is a of cicadas in the Cicadidae, containing at least 140 described across 10 recognized tribes. The subfamily exhibits a broad geographic distribution spanning the Neotropics, Nearctic, and Palearctic regions. A 2005 taxonomic revision proposed renaming the subfamily Tettigadinae to avoid confusion, though this change was not universally adopted. within Tibicininae include Chilecicada, Tibicina, Selymbria, Hemidictya, and others, with notable centers of in Chile and the Neotropics.

Tibicinoides pallidula by (c) Dominic, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Dominic. Used under a CC-BY license.

Platypedia areolata by (c) Don Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Don Loarie. Used under a CC-BY license.

Platypedia minor by (c) Don Loarie, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Tibicininae: /tɪbɪˈtʃɪnɪniː/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Members of Tibicininae are distinguished from other by combinations of morphological characters and acoustic properties, though specific diagnostic features vary by tribe. -level identification often requires analysis of male genitalia, body coloration, and species-specific calling songs. The Chilecicada is to Chile; Tibicina occurs in the Palearctic including North Africa; Selymbria is distributed across Central and South America. Acoustic analysis of courtship songs has proven critical for distinguishing cryptic species within genera such as Tibicina and Chilecicada.

Images

Distribution

Neotropical, Nearctic, and Palearctic regions. The Chilecicada is highly to Chile, with 91.2% of Chilean Tibicininae endemic to the country. The genus Tibicina occurs in the western Palearctic including Morocco and the Maghreb. The genus Selymbria ranges from Guatemala and Panama through Rica, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, and Argentina.

Behavior

Males produce -specific calling songs and courtship songs for mate recognition. In Tibicina maldesi, an abnormally high carrier frequency relative to body size has been observed, hypothesized as an to avoid acoustic interference with sympatric . Song analysis is routinely employed as a taxonomic tool for species delimitation within the .

Similar Taxa

CicadettinaeBoth are within Cicadidae; Tibicininae was historically confused with Cicadettinae prior to the 2005 revision, and the proposed name Tettigadinae was intended to clarify this distinction.
TettigomyiinaeBoth are with Neotropical distributions; Tibicininae can be distinguished by tribal composition and geographic overlap with Palearctic .

Misconceptions

The name Tettigadinae has been used interchangeably with Tibicininae following a 2005 revision, but this nomenclatural change was not universally accepted and lacks official status, leading to confusion in literature.

More Details

Taxonomic revision

Tibicininae underwent a major revision in 2005, with a proposal to rename the Tettigadinae. This proposal was not universally accepted and no official appeal was made, though Tettigadinae continues to appear in some literature.

Tribal composition

The includes 10 tribes: Chilecicadini, Citroriginini, Hemidictyini, Platypediini, Sapantangini, Selymbriini, Tettigadini, Tibicinini, and the monogeneric tribes Citroriginini ( Citroriginis), Hemidictyini (genus Hemidictya), and Sapantangini (genus Sapantanga).

Acoustic taxonomy

within Tibicininae are frequently distinguished by acoustic characters, with oxidase I sequence analysis and song structure providing complementary data for species delimitation, as documented in Chilecicada and Tibicina.