Cicadetta montana (also known as the New Forest cicada) is a species of Cicadetta found throughout Europe and in parts of Asia.[1]
It is regarded as endangered over large parts of Europe, and has vanished from several areas in Western Europe.[2]
It is the only cicada species native to England and Finland (Åminneforss in Pohja).[3]
The adult females inject their eggs into the stems of food plants, and, when the larvae emerge, they burrow underground and as nymphs feeding on root sap. These underground cycles may last many years, differing for each species.
Females have a body measuring about 50 mm in length, with the males being much smaller. It has transparent wings with prominent veins, folded over the back when at rest, and a dark slate-grey or black body with dull orange rings around the abdomen. The legs are marked with dull orange as are the leading edges of the wings (costae).
As with all cicadas, the males produce the shrill, buzzing calls by rapidly flexing drumhead-like membranes, while the females are limited to producing clicks.
The call of C montana sounds like static hiss to the unaided human ear and is sustained with relatively short lulls at irregular intervals.[4] Their shrilling was venerated by the ancient Greeks, but detested by Virgil.[5]
In 1772, Scopoli described and named the type specimen from SloveniaasMelampsalta montana, and this was later changed to Cicadetta montana. It has turned out to be not a single taxon, but a complex of closely related species distinguishable by their songs. Using this method of differentiation, at least 10 species have been separated from the complex. Classification by calls has led to three main groups being proposed which largely correspond with the clades suggested by DNA analyses – one new species not fitting in the proposed scheme.[7][8][9]
C. montana has not been seen or heard anywhere in Britain since 2000. In 2013, in an attempt to locate remaining specimens, developers have written application software for smartphones, enabling users to listen to sound frequencies beyond the normal human range.[11] Up to December 2015, over 3,000 people have downloaded the ″Hunt for the New Forest Cicada app″ without success in Britain, although the app has recorded the insect in Slovenia. From 2016 onwards, 100 autonomous acoustic monitoring devices have been deployed each year throughout the New Forest.[12]
C. montana also disappeared between 1941 and 1961, so their current absence may be part of a cycle.[13]
In 2024 a project to re-introduce the species to the New Forest was launched by the Species Recovery Trust. The project will involve capturing individuals from the Idrija region of Slovenia, with some to be captive bred and others released into a series of carefully monitored locations. [14]
