Sound-production
Guides
Arhaphe
bordered plant bugs
Arhaphe is a genus of bordered plant bugs in the family Largidae, comprising 26 described species. The genus is notable among hemipterans for possessing a sound-producing stridulitrum, where the hind femur is rubbed against the costal margin of the forewings. Four species occur in the United States: A. arguta, A. breviata, A. carolina, and A. mimetica. The genus has been proposed as a potential model for ecological evolutionary developmental biology studies of insect-microbe symbiosis.
Cicadidae
Typical Cicadas, True Cicadas
Cicadidae is one of two families in the superfamily Cicadoidea, containing approximately 3,400 species in over 520 genera worldwide. Members are characterized by membranous wings, triangular arrangements of three ocelli on the head, short bristle-like antennae, and acoustic communication using tymbals. The family includes both annual species with staggered emergence patterns and periodical species with synchronized multi-year life cycles. Cicadidae is distinguished from its sister family Tettigarctidae by more efficient sound-producing mechanisms.
Cicadoidea
cicadas
Cicadoidea is a superfamily of insects in the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha. It comprises two families: Tettigarctidae, containing two species restricted to Australia, and Cicadidae, with more than 1,300 described species worldwide. Cicadas are characterized by their large size, bulging compound eyes, short antennae, and distinctive acoustic signals produced by males. The superfamily includes both annual and periodical species, with the latter exhibiting remarkable synchronized emergences after 13 or 17 years of subterranean development.
Drepana arcuata
Arched Hooktip Moth, masked birch caterpillar
Drepana arcuata, commonly known as the arched hooktip moth, is a North American species in the hooktip moth family Drepanidae. Adults are active from mid-May through late July, with one generation per year in northern populations. The species is notable for its larvae, which produce sounds through body vibrations, drumming, scraping mouthparts, and specialized anal structures—possibly to communicate and attract other larvae to communal silk shelters.
Heliconiini
longwings, passion-vine butterflies
Heliconiini is a tribe of butterflies in the subfamily Heliconiinae, commonly known as longwings or passion-vine butterflies. The group comprises approximately 100 species and subspecies distributed primarily in the Neotropics. Members are characterized by elongated wings, bright aposematic coloration, and specialized relationships with Passiflora host plants. The tribe includes well-known genera such as Heliconius, Dryas, and Agraulis.
Neotibicen auriferus
Plains Dog-Day Cicada, Field cicada
Neotibicen auriferus is an annual cicada species in the family Cicadidae, commonly known as the Plains Dog-Day Cicada or Field cicada. Like other annual cicadas, it emerges during mid- to late summer rather than in synchronized broods. The species is known from the central United States, with records from Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and Oklahoma. Males produce species-specific songs using tymbal organs to attract females for mating.
Ovalipes
paddle crab, lady crab, three-spot swimming crab
Ovalipes is a genus of swimming crabs in the family Ovalipidae, established by Mary J. Rathbun in 1898. The genus comprises approximately 12 extant species distributed across marine coastal waters of the Pacific, Atlantic, and Indian Oceans. Several species hold commercial importance, particularly O. punctatus in East Asian fisheries and O. catharus in New Zealand. Members exhibit characteristic portunid adaptations for swimming, including flattened, paddle-shaped fifth pereiopods.
Pachycorinae
Pachycorinae is a subfamily of Scutelleridae (jewel bugs) comprising 27 genera and approximately 125 species, predominantly distributed in the Neotropical region. The subfamily is distinguished by the presence of stridulatory structures: an abdominal sternal stridulitrum located primarily on sternites V-VI, paired with a tibial plectrum on the hind tibiae. These sound-producing structures are present in immatures, males, and females, and exhibit morphological variation that carries taxonomic significance. Two main stridulitrum patterns occur: smooth carinae (24 genera) and coarse carinae with small teeth (3 genera); tibial plectra show either rounded tubercles or flat tubercles.
Papilionidae
Swallowtails and Parnassians, Swallowtail butterflies
Papilionidae is a family of large, colorful butterflies comprising over 550 species distributed across every continent except Antarctica. The family includes the birdwing butterflies of genus Ornithoptera, the largest butterflies in the world. Members are characterized by distinctive tail-like extensions on the hindwings in many species. The family encompasses three subfamilies: Papilioninae (swallowtails), Parnassiinae (Parnassians or Apollos), and Baroniinae (a monotypic subfamily).
Platynotini
Platynotini is a tribe of darkling beetles within the family Tenebrionidae, containing more than 70 genera distributed across multiple biogeographic regions including North and South America, the southern Palaearctic, the Afrotropical region, and the Indomalayan realm. The tribe is distinguished from other Blaptinae tribes by the presence of a stridulatory gula used for sound production. Recent molecular phylogenetic studies have strongly supported the monophyly of Platynotini. Members of this tribe exhibit considerable morphological diversity, with some African species such as Anomalipus being heavily built and armored, adapted to dense bush-covered savanna habitats.
Platypedia areolata
Salmonfly Cicada, salmonfly
Platypedia areolata, commonly known as the salmonfly cicada, is a species of cicada in the family Cicadidae found in western North America. Unlike most cicadas that produce sound using tymbal organs, males of this species communicate through crepitation—snapping their wings together or against vegetation to create audible signals. This species is part of a genus containing 21 species and four subspecies distributed across western North America.
Platypedia putnami keddiensis
Putnam's Cicada
Platypedia putnami keddiensis is a subspecies of Putnam's cicada, a small, slender, hairy black cicada with orange highlights and a distinctive orange pronotal collar. Unlike most cicadas, males lack timbal organs and instead produce sound through crepitation—snapping their wings together or against vegetation to create a subtle tick-ticking noise. This subspecies occurs in western North America at elevations around 6,000 feet, primarily in evergreen forest understory. Both sexes can produce sound through this wing-snapping mechanism, potentially enabling two-way acoustic communication.
Sassacus
Leaf-beetle Jumping Spiders
Sassacus is a genus of jumping spiders (Salticidae) first described in 1895. Adults are exceptionally small, measuring 3-5 mm (males) or 4.4-5.5 mm (females). Many species exhibit iridescent coloration and compact bodies, suspected to mimic chemically defended leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae). The genus occurs across North America from southern British Columbia through Central America, inhabiting broadleaved plants in open fields and forest edges.
Tettigoniidea
Katydids, wētā, and allies, katydids, wētā, bush crickets, king crickets, grigs
Tettigoniidea is an infraorder of Orthoptera comprising katydids, wētā, king crickets, and grigs. It includes six extant families distributed across four superfamilies: Tettigonioidea (katydids), Stenopelmatoidea (wētā and king crickets), Hagloidea (grigs), and the extinct Phasmomimoidea. Members are characterized by elongated antennae, enlarged hind legs adapted for jumping, and sound production via stridulation. The group contains at least 440 described species, with substantial diversity in tropical and temperate regions worldwide.
Tropisternus lateralis limbalis
Tropisternus lateralis limbalis is a subspecies of water scavenger beetle in the family Hydrophilidae. It is known to produce acoustic signals, with males generating sounds that function in mate attraction and courtship. The subspecies has been documented in western Oregon and has a broad distribution across North America extending into South America and the Caribbean.