Story: Cicadas

Sand dune cicada and redtailed cicada songs

Charles Fleming studied the songs of different cicadas. He found he could use differences in the songs to distinguish species, and similarities to group together related species. Listen to him play the call of the sand dune cicada (Rhodopsalta leptomera, top) and its relative the redtailed cicada (Rhodopsalta cruentata, bottom).

Sound file from Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision. Any re-use of this audio is a breach of copyright. To request a copy of the recording, contact Ngā Taonga (Cicadas/Reference number 38421)

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Photograph by M. J. Esson

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How to cite this page:

John Marris, 'Cicadas - The cicada’s song', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/natural-sounds/11017/sand-dune-cicada-and-redtailed-cicada-songs (accessed 28 March 2024)

Story by John Marris, published 24 Sep 2007