Black cicadas | Maoricicada

High alpine cicada | Maoricicada alticola

This cicada is black with some gold on its underside. Its wings are tinted brown, and the base of the back wings have coloured patches. The body length of this cicada is generally 18–22 mm. 

Dorsal view of a female Maoricicada alticola. Photo by Birgit E. Rhode, Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Via Wiki Commons CC BY 4.0

Distribution and habitat
This cicada can only be found around a handful of mountain ranges in the upper South Island: in particular, the Turk Ridge, Crimea Range, and St Arnaud Range.

Time of year

This cicada is generally only found in February.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a high alpine cicada. The audio begins with one elongated chirp and is followed by one click. This repeats two more times.

Campbell’s cicada | Maoricicada campbelli

The most widespread of the black cicadas. It is common throughout the North Island and South Island alpine regions.

This species is named in honour of James Wishart Campbell, an early New Zealand scientist, who collected the first specimens of this species.

This black cicada has silvery hairs across its body, and a thick red edge on its wings. It has a purple X mark on its back, and its underside is reddish-brown.

Campbell’s cicada | Maoricicada campbelli. Photo by Melvin Esson

Distribution and habitat
This is the most widespread of the Maoricicada species. However, they are almost entirely confined to the subalpine areas of the North and South Island. They can be found in the stony riverbeds, bare ground and grassy fields, more often than not on top of rocks and boulders.

Time of year

This species can generally be found from November to March, but is most common in January and February.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a Campbell’s cicada. It starts off by a zit sound that is getting longer at the end and is followed by a short click. This is repeated two times and after that there are eight chirps which get louder.

Screaming cicada | Maoricicada cassiope

This cicada has black, dark reddish-brown or black markings on its back. It has black hair around its upper body and head and silver hair on its underside. Its tymbals are gold, and it can also have golden stripes on the top of its abdomen. The wings have a thick reddish edge.

This species gets its name from its song, which can be so loud and high-pitched (especially towards the end of its song) that it can hurt some people’s ears when it is close by!

Screaming cicada | Maoricicada cassiope. Photo by Melvin Esson

Distribution and habitat
It is relatively common on the central North Island volcanic plateau and the upper South Island.

Time of year

This species can generally be found from December to March but is most common in January.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a screaming cicada. Its beginning note is an elongated chirping sound which is getting higher at the end. After this sound there is one single high-pitched click. This gets repeated one more time.

Yodelling cicada | Maoricicada clamitans

This cicada is black with brownish markings and silvery hair. The underside is pale or pinkish brown, with a row a black patches along its centre, and the wings have thick reddish edge.

This species gets its name from its song, which sounds a bit like a yodel.

Yodelling cicada | Maoricicada clamitans. Photo by Melvin Esson

Distribution and habitat
This is cicada in scrub and tussock grass on the hills and alpine regions of the lower central South Island.

Time of year

It is most common in January, but can also be found in December and February.

Song
“Yodel-yodel-yodel”
This is a recording of the sound of a yodelling cicada. The cicada makes elongated chirping sound which get high-pitched at the end of each note. These sounds are repeated many times.

Hamilton’s cicada | Maoricicada hamiltoni

This cicada has long white hair under its head and on its sides. It has a dark orange X mark on its back, and its underside is mostly black. This cicada is named in honour of Harold Hamilton, a former collector at the Dominion Museum (Te Papa’s predecessor).

Hamilton’s cicada | Maoricicada hamiltoni. Photo by Melvin Esson

Distribution and habitat
This cicada can be found in the North Island volcanic plateau, the Wairarapa, and the subalpine regions of the upper South Island, generally in the stony riverbeds and tussock herb fields.

Time of year

It is most common in January, but can also be found in November and December.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a Hamilton’s cicada. It contains high-pitched and short chirping notes that are repeated equally.

Iolanthe cicada | Maoricicada iolanthe

These cicadas have a dark olive green or brown head, with black markings on their body. Their body is relatively short and stout, with a point on the end. Their wings are short with red veins and the males have salmon-coloured amplifier plates. This cicada is named after the fairy Iolanthe, from the Gilbert & Sullivan opera of the same name.

Maoricicada Iolanthe. Auckland War Memorial Museum, via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0

Distribution and habitat
This cicada is relatively rare, so its exact range is still not well defined. However, it can generally be found in the North Island, in all regions except Auckland and Northland. 

Time of year

This species can generally be found from November to January, although it can also sometimes be found in February and March too.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of an Iolanthe cicada. Firstly, the sound starts with three elongated chirps that have a clicking note at each end. This is followed by some clicks before the earlier pattern returns.

Linsay’s Cicada | Maoricicada lindsayi

This is New Zealand’s smallest cicada, with a body length of only 12-14 mm. This cicada has a narrow body with short yellow hair. It has a pale green or yellow-brown X mark on its back, and its underside is pale. It was named in honour of Charles Lindsay who collected the first specimen of this species.

Maoricicada lindsayi. Photo by Birgit E. Rhode, Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0

Distribution and habitat
It can be found in the northeast of the South Island. It is generally found on rocky outcrops, valley slopes and bare soil.

Time of year

This species can generally be found from November to February, although it is most common in January.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a Lindsay’s cicada. It contains quiet and high-pitched chirping notes in a slow rhythm. After four chirps  some clicks follow before the chirping returns.

Scree Cicada | Maoricicada mangu

This cicada has short, silver hair on their backs and a pale brown underside. Its biological name, mangu, comes from the Māori word for black.

This species is divided into four different subspecies, which live in different places on the South Island mountains.

Scree Cicada | Maoricicada mangu. Photo by Melvin Esson

Distribution and habitat
This species is generally found on the screes and bare rocks of the alpine areas of the upper South Island. The Canterbury scree subspecies is generally found along the Southern Alps, from Lewis Pass to Lake Tekapo. The northern scree subspecies is generally found in alpine regions north-east of Lewis Pass. The Dun Mountain subspecies is found around Dun Mountain, Mount Robert, and the Matai-Roding Saddle. The braying subspecies can only be found on the Turk Ridge and Crimea Range.

Time of year

This species can generally be found in January and February, and, to a lesser extent, March.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a scree cicada. It has a slow rhythm and the chirping notes are very deep. It sounds like a frog.

Myers’ Cicada | Maoricicada myersi

This black cicada has dark grey hairs across its body, and a thick brown edge on its wings. It has a light brown or greenish X mark on its back, and its underside is reddish-brown. It generally has a body length of 13–15 mm. This species is named in honor of John Myers, an early researcher of New Zealand cicadas.

Maoricicada myersi. Photo by Melvin Esson

Distribution and habitat
This very rare cicada is only found in one location in New Zealand: in the Ōrongorongo Valley near Wellington. It is generally found sitting on the rocks in this valley.

Time of year

This species can generally be found from November to January.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a Myer’s cicada. The audio has a simple rhythm. It starts with a loud high-pitched chirping note followed by three clicks. That repeats two times.

Subnival Cicada | Maoricicada nigra

Both subspecies have a short and wide body, although it is generally lighter: its body is paler, its hairs are more silvery, its wings are clearer, and the amplifier plates on its underside have pale margins.

This cicada comes in two subspecies: Eastern and Western subspecies.

Subnival Cicada | Maoricicada nigra. Photo by Melvin Esson

Distribution and habitat
The eastern subspecies can be found in the Otago highlands, while the western subspecies is generally found in the alpine and subnival areas of the Southern Alps.

Time of year

This species can generally be found from November to April but is most common in January and February.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a subnival cicada. The cicada makes very quiet clicking sounds. These are repeated quickly.

Greater Alpine Black Cicada | Maoricicada oromelaena

This cicada is generally black and hairy with orange or green markings. The underside is black with pale margins. It has a body length of between 17mm and 23mm, and a wing span of between 37mm and 47mm.

Maoricicada oromelaena. Photo by Birgit E. Rhode, Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0

Distribution and habitat
These cicadas can be found in tussock herb fields, scree and stony streams of the hills and alpine areas along the Southern Alps.

Time of year

This species can generally be found from November to April but is most common in January and February.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a greater black alpine cicada. Long, quavering main notes with initial modulation, followed by a short and high suffix, sounding like “ee-ee-ee-ee-ee-zip...”.

Speargrass Cicada | Maoricicada otagoensis

This cicada is generally found in alpine and subalpine regions of Central Otago. It can be found on rocky outcrops, screes, tussock grasses, and shrubs.

Speargrass Cicada | Maoricicada otagoensis. Photo by Melvin Esson

Distribution and habitat
This cicada is generally found in alpine and subalpine regions of Central Otago. It can be found on the rocky outcrops, screes, tussock grasses, and shrubs.

Time of year

This species is generally only found in January and February.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a speargrass cicada. Merging prefix with the main note followed by a short and high suffix: “ee-yer eeyer chick...”.

Southern Dusky Cicada | Maoricicada phaeoptera

This cicada has a pale underside, with a few black markings down its centre. The front wings are tinted brown, but unlike the Northern Dusky Cicada, the back wings do not have a coloured patch. It generally has a body length of 16-22 mm and a wingspan of 32-41 mm.

Maoricicada phaeoptera. Photo by Birgit E. Rhode, Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd. Via Wikimedia Commons CC BY 4.0

Distribution and habitat
This cicada can be found in the subalpine and alpine regions of South Canterbury, Otago, and Southland. It is only found in the herb fields and grasses, although the males can be found singing on bare surfaces, such as rocky outcrops or loose soil.

Time of year

This species is generally only found in January and February.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a southern dusky cicada. The main note is composed of an accelerating click repetition rate followed by a repeated suffix: “ee yer-chup-chup-chup...”.

Northern Dusky Cicada | Maoricicada tenuis

This cicada has a pale green or pale brown underside, with black markings down its centre. The front wings are tinted brown, and the back wings have a coloured patch at their base.

Northern Dusky Cicada | Maoricicada tenuis. Photo by Melvin Esson

Distribution and habitat
It can be found in the grassy herb field in the subalpine and alpine regions of the upper South Island. The males are generally found singing on the bare rocks

Time of year

This species can be found from January to March but is most common in February.

Song
This is a recording of the sound of a northern dusky cicada. The cicada starts with an elongated chirp, then proceeds with lots of short clicks and after that there is one single tick.