Vulnerable-species

Guides

• Beameria venosa

  Aridland Cicada

  Beameria venosa is one of the smallest cicada species in North America, with a body length of approximately 16 mm. It is a prairie obligate species distributed across the Great Plains from Nebraska and Colorado south to Texas and New Mexico, with additional records from Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, and Arizona. The species produces a high-frequency calling song that is audible to humans but appears to function as a predator avoidance mechanism by being inaudible to birds and lizards. It is listed as vulnerable in Missouri due to its dependence on restricted prairie habitats.

  cicadaprairiesmall-sizeacoustic-communicationpredator-avoidanceGreat-Plainshabitat-specialistvulnerable-speciesMissouriloess-hillshigh-frequency-calling-songendangered-ecosystem-dependent