Occurrence data from the collections of the Africa Museum (Tervuren), the Albany Museum (Makhanda [Grahamstown]), the Ditsong National Museum of Natural History (Pretoria), the Durban Natural Science Museum (Durban), the Iziko South African Museum (Cape Town), the KwaZulu-Natal Museum (Pietermaritzburg), the South African National Collection of Insects (Pretoria), the Natural History Museum of Zimbabwe (Bulawayo), the Natural History Museum (London), the Swedish Museum of Natural History (Stockholm), the National Museum of Namibia (Windhoek), donations from many members of the public and a spectrum of published literature, were collated by MHV and supplemented by the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Biodiversity Database. These allowed the compilation of a checklist of species known from KwaZulu-Natal and an assessment of which species are likely to be endemic to that province.

A fundamental guideline to coining standardised scientific names for organisms is articulated in Recommendation 25C of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature: “… ensure that they are chosen with their subsequent users in mind and that, as far as possible, they are appropriate, compact, euphonious, memorable and do not cause offence” (International Code of Zoological Nomenclature 1999). Related species are grouped into genera. The name of the genus is commonly a noun while the species-specific part of the species name is usually a qualifier, like an adjective or a noun in the genitive case. In this way, the entire name is essentially a much-abbreviated description of the organism. While some species-specific parts of names refer to the place of discovery or a person associated with the species, others may refer to morphological, biological or behavioural traits. Names that help to identify the organism tend to be easier to remember. These principles can also be applied to the coining of new vernacular names.

Some vernacular names already exist in folk taxonomies and published literature. If appropriate, these should be used because those organisms are sufficiently familiar and significant to have attracted public attention. Additionally, there is no advantage to creating a synonym. However, homonyms and clearly inapplicable vernacular names should be replaced by appropriate new names. Folk taxonomies contain many names that are equivalent to scientific taxa such as families (e.g. cicada), but seldom recognise the individual species comprising these groups. In these cases, vernacular neologisms can be formed by qualifying the collective name with a suitable translation of the species-specific part of the scientific name. Some scientific names of genera are derived from vernacular words, e.g. Ibonikawhite, Stagira, Munza and Monomatapa. Reciprocally, where a particular taxon, such as a genus or family, lacks a vernacular name, one can be formed from the scientific name. Translation has the advantage of coordinating continuity between vernacular and scientific names. If a robust and stable phylogenetic classification of a group has been established (e.g. Marshall et al. 2018), the opportunity to coin vernacular names is also an opportunity to co-ordinate the folk taxonomy with the hierarchy of relationships that is inherent in the scientific classification.

New vernacular names for taxa such as families, genera and species can also be formed from diagnostic or characteristic features of the taxon under consideration. Examples of these features include morphology, colouration, calls or song and ecological relationships.

We have used these principles in the creation of English names for cicada species occurring in KwaZulu-Natal. These and other naming conventions (e.g. Wilson and Cole 2000; Grubb 2006) have been used in compiling, amongst others, the World Bird List of the International Ornithological Committee (http://www.worldbirdnames.org), Common Names of Mammals of the World (Wilson and Cole 2000), the Entomological Society of America’s Common Names of Insects Database (https://www.entsoc.org/common-names) and the database of vernacular names in both French and English for insects and other arthropods of the Common Names Committee of the Canadian Entomological Society (http://esc-sec.ca/entomology-resources/common-names/).

Based on the species list, relevant taxonomic literature (e.g. Distant 1906; Villet 1987, 1989, 1994, 1997; Villet and Reavell 1989; Marshall et al. 2018) and experience, a taxonomic key to adult males of the subfamilies, genera and species of cicadas occurring in KwaZulu-Natal was drawn up. The identification of many species of cicadas relies on characteristics of the males’ sound-producing organs and genitalia. As a result, identification of females relies on comparison of, for instance, wing patterns and body size with those of identified males. To assist this comparison, photographs of the females of several species are presented.

Over 7800 records of cicadas occurring in southern Africa were gathered, including over 800 records of cicadas from at least 368 unique locations in KwaZulu-Natal. Following the classification of Marshall et al. (2018), these records represented 38 species from 15 genera, six tribes and three subfamilies (Table 1).

Most of the larger-bodied cicadas (Cicadinae) are found in several provinces of South Africa, but are endemic to the country (Table 1). They are strong fliers and females disperse well, but the species tend to be specific in their habitat or plant associations. Males attract females through singing. The species of Lamotialnini (Cicadettinae) are not endemic to South Africa, fly well and have no obvious plant associations. The species of Cicadettini, Malagasiini and Parnisini (all Cicadettinae) are generally endemic to the country, fly less robustly and are often grassland-associated. Two species, in the genus Taipinga, are endemic to KwaZulu-Natal. The Tettigomyiini (Tettigomyiinae) is represented in KwaZulu-Natal by the southern African genus Stagira, which is comprised of 39 species (Villet 1997). Most of the Stagira species are endemic to eastern South Africa and are weak fliers. Each species occupies a specific habitat (forest or forest margins or grassland or savannah or thicket). Several species of Stagira have brachypterous females, which severely limits the dispersal abilities of the species and thus promotes narrow-range endemism. Fourteen of the fifteen species of Stagira occurring in KwaZulu-Natal are endemic to the province (Table 1).

Figure 1. 

Small Drakensberg Redeye Cicada Stagira dracomontana Villet, 1997 male.

Figure 2. 

Empangeni Redeye Cicada Stagira empangeniensis Villet, 1997 male; (top) mature male, (bottom) teneral male.

Figure 3. 

Smallhead Redeye Cicada Stagira microcephala (Walker, 1850) male; (top) mature male, (bottom) teneral male.

Figure 4. 

Savanna Redeye Cicada Stagira natalensis Villet, 1997 male and female; (top) mature male, (bottom) female.

Figure 5. 

Ngome Redeye Cicada Stagira ngomiensis Villet, 1997 male; (top) mature male, (bottom) teneral male.

Figure 6. 

Nkandla Redeye Cicada Stagira nkandlhaensis Villet, 1997 male.

Figure 7. 

Pondoland Redeye Cicada Stagira pondoensis Villet, 1997 teneral male.

Figure 8. 

Purple Redeye Cicada Stagira purpurea Villet, 1997 male and female; (top) mature male, (bottom left) teneral male, (bottom right) female.

Figure 9. 

Guineagrass Redeye Cicada Stagira virescens Kirkaldy, 1909 male; (top) mature male, (bottom) teneral male.

Figure 10. 

Pied Cicada Quintilia sp. male and female; (top) mature male, (bottom) teneral female.

Figure 11. 

Whining Forest Cicada Pycna semiclara (Germar, 1834) male

Figure 12. 

Greenwing Cicada Kongota punctigera (Walker, 1850) male.

Figure 13. 

Shrill Thorntree Cicada Brevisiana brevis (Walker, 1850) male.

Figure 14. 

Ouhout Orangewing Cicada Platypleura deusta (Germar, 1834) male.

Figure 15. 

Dune Koko Orangewing Cicada Platypleura zuluensis Villet, 1987 male.

Figure 16. 

Maputaland Orangewing Cicada Tugelana butleri Distant, 1912 male.

Figure 17. 

Whitewing Grassland Cicada Melampsalta leucoptera (Germar, 1830) male.

To date, very few vernacular names for African cicadas have been recognised and they all equate to Cicadidae, i.e. the taxonomic rank of family in scientific nomenclature. Cicadas collectively have been referred to as isibawu or inyenzane in Xhosa (Mkize et al. 2003); isibawu, inyekevu, isidlonono or isihlonono in Zulu (Cockburn et al. 2014); khentšherere, sentšherere, lentsenene, ntšherere, ntsekenene, kherurubele or serurubele in the Hananwa, Kgaga, Lobedu and Moletši dialects of Northern Sotho (Mathobela and Villet unpublished data); and sonbesies, boomsangertjies, boomsingertjies, doringbesies, nuwe-jaarsbesies, somerbesies and sonroepertjies in Afrikaans (Plant Protection Research Institute 1979). Inyenzane alludes to lonesomeness, connoting the mournful sounds that the large-bodied cicadine cicadas produce (Mkize et al. 2003) and sonbesie means sun bug, referring to cicadas’ tendency to sing in the sunniest parts of the day and the year, hence the misappropriated English name Christmas Beetle.

The inappropriate name Christmas Beetle, which is used for cicadas (which are bugs) in parts of South Africa and elsewhere, is a homonym that is also and more properly used for some local ruteline and melolonthine Chafer Beetles. Christmas Beetle has also recently been used for eumolpine Leaf Beetles by Holm (2017). Other common names for cicadas are the inappropriate Christmas Bees, Christmas Cicadas and Christmas Singers (Plant Protection Research Institute 1979). However, some cicada species are not present as adults in December and therefore cannot be appropriately called Christmas Cicadas or Christmas Singers. These examples of inappropriate names and ambiguity about the identity of the organism being named support arguments for standardising vernacular names. The Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife Biodiversity Database has used vernacular names internally for some time.

Picker et al. (2002) published some English neologisms for South African cicadas that occur in KwaZulu-Natal. We did not use some of these for the following reasons. The name Axe-head used for Oxypleura lenihani could be used for most species in the genera Oxypleura, Ioba and Strumoseura as they have characteristically pointed lateral pronotal lobes. The name “Orange-wing” was used for two species of Platypleura cicadas and is therefore a homonym. However, we have used Orangewing Cicadas for the genus Platypleura as a whole. The name “Green-wings” was used for the genus Stagira. Although many of the Stagira species are green-bodied, their wing membranes are generally colourless as mature adults, with the exception of one species that has distinctly green-tinted forewing membranes. We retained the name Karoo Cicadas for the genus Quintilia.

Our proposed list of English names of cicadas occurring in KwaZulu-Natal is presented in Table 1. Some of these vernacular names are translations of specific epithets, combined with a general genus-level name. Other names emphasise readily visible morphological characteristics and identifying ecological relationships of the species. A couple emphasise the species-specific call together with an ecological relationship. The names employed not only capture the taxonomy, but also emphasise obvious features that allow the cicadas to be more easily identified and appreciated.

Cicadas are best located through the calling of the males. Calls of male cicadas differ between species (Villet 1988, 1992). Certain species can be identified easily by their calls alone. No sound library for all of the cicadas in KwaZulu-Natal is currently available, but digital recordings made by MHV have been lodged at the Natural History Museum, London. The males of certain species form calling aggregations. Once located and once the observer is familiar with the local cicada fauna, some cicadas in KwaZulu-Natal can be easily identified by general appearance, particularly in the hand and with the use of a hand lens (e.g. the species of Cicadinae). Good quality photographs of the dorsal surface of these species can be used to identify them, provided that the necessary forewings, hindwings and abdomen are displayed (i.e. photographs may need to be taken of hand-held individuals). The taxonomic key below indicates the diagnostic features used to identify the cicadas to species that may need to be visible in photographs. Another adjunct to the identification of cicada species that utilise only one species or genus of hostplant is the identity of the plant species on which the male is singing. The habitat in which the cicada was found should also be noted.

The Stagira species with red colouration can be identified by a combination of general appearance and locality. For these species, georeferenced photographs of the whole animal may be used for identification. The other Stagira species would require good macrophotography of the various diagnostic features (see the taxonomic key below) to be identifiable from photographs. The habitat and locality where the Stagira cicada was photographed would be important confirmatory information.

Adult males of all of the species can be identified with the following taxonomic key. Many of the features mentioned are visible to the naked eye or with the use of a hand lens, but the use of a microscope is required to see microscopic hairs and certain structures of the genitalia of the Stagira species. Females’ opercula are smaller and their external genitalia simpler in comparison with males of the same species and they lack timbals (e.g. compare male and female in Figure 4).

The nymphs of cicadas tend to live underground, are seldom seen and are very poorly known in South Africa (Midgley et al. 2013), even though this stage of the life cycle may be the most long-lived. There is no comprehensive key to the nymphs of cicadas in South Africa (Bouwer et al. 2013; Midgley et al. 2013).