Abstract
The genus Okanagana has several outstanding taxonomic issues which stem largely from the poor descriptions and small type series commonly used in the early 20th century. Here we address two known issues; relegating a former species to a junior subjective synonym and resurrecting a previously synonymized species. Okanagana napa Davis, 1919 was described from a single specimen but using morphology and other lines of evidence we identify it as conspecific with O. arboraria Wymore, 1934 n. syn. making the latter a junior subjective synonym. Okanagana albibasalis stat. rev. was improperly synonymized with O. canescens Van Duzee, 1915 and is revised to full species status based on their differing morphologies. We also provide corrections to the phylogenetic hypothesis in Cole et al. (2023) that result from these taxonomic acts.
References
- Bliven, B.P. (1964) Concerning cicadas: notes and descriptions of new species. The Occidental Entomologist, 1, 90–102.
- Cole, J.A., Chatfield-Taylor, W., Smeds, E.A., Cooley, J.R., Gonzalez, V.A. & Wong, C. (2023) Phylogeny of North America’s largest cicada radiation redefines Tibicinoides and Okanagana (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadidae: Tibicininae). Zootaxa, 5346 (5), 501–531. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5346.5.1
- Coy, O.C. (1923) California County Boundaries: A Study of the Division of the State Into Counties and the Subsequent Changes in Their Boundaries. California Historical Survey Commission, Berkeley, California, 335 pp.
- Davis, W.T. (1919) Cicadas of the genera Okanagana, Tibicinoides and Okanagodes, with descriptions of several new species. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 27, 179–223.
- Davis, W.T. (1926) New cicadas from California and Arizona with notes on several other species. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 34, 177–197.
- Davis, W.T. (1939) New cicadas from North America and the West Indies. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 47, 287–302.
- Distant, W.L. (1905) Rhynchotal Notes XXXIII. Annals and Magazine of Natural History, Series 7, 16 (91), 22–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/03745480509443650
- Distant, W.L. (1914) On a few undescribed Cicadidæ from California. Annals and Magazine of Natural History; Zoology, Botany, and Geology, Series 8, 14 (80), 165–167. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222931408693562
- Metcalf, Z.P. (1963) General catalogue of the Homoptera. Fascicle VIII. Cicadoidea. Part 2. Tibicinidae. North Carolina State College, Raleigh, North Carolina, 492 pp.
- Moulds, M.S. (2005) An appraisal of the higher classification of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea) with special reference to the Australian fauna. Records of the Australian Museum, 57, 375–446. https://doi.org/10.3853/j.0067-1975.57.2005.1447
- Sanborn, A.F. & Heath, M.S. (2017) The cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae) of North America north of Mexico. Entomological Society of America, Annapolis, Maryland, 302 pp. https://doi.org/10.4182/RGQR9835
- Sanborn, A.F. & Phillips, P.K. (2013) Biogeography of the cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, north of Mexico. Diversity, 5, 166–239. https://doi.org/10.3390/d5020166
- Simons, J.N. (1953) New California cicadas with taxonomic notes on other species. Pan-Pacific Entomologist, 29, 191–198.
- Simons, J.N. (1954) The cicadas of California, John N. Simons. Bulletin of the California Insect Survey, 2, 153–192.
- Smeds, E.A. & Chatfield-Taylor, W. (2025) A new species of Okanagana native to a unique serpentine ecosystem in Northern California (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadidae). Zootaxa, 5636 (3), 487–498. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5636.3.4
- Sueur, J., Vanderpool, D., Simon, C., Ouvrard, D. & Bourgoin, T. (2007) Molecular phylogeny of the genus Tibicina (Hemiptera, Cicadidae): rapid radiation and acoustic behaviour. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 91 (4), 611–626. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1095-8312.2007.00823.x
- Van Duzee, E.P. (1915) A preliminary review of the west coast Cicadidae. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 23, 21–44.
- Walker, M. (1866) Cicada occidentalis. N.S. A list of mammals, birds, insects, reptiles, fishes, shells, annelids, and diatomacae, collected by myself in British Columbia and Vancouver Island, with notes on their habits. In: Lord, J.K. (Ed.), R. 2 Order Hemiptera. Sub-Order Homoptera. Fam. Cicadidae. (Weitm.)—Genus Cicada (Linn.). Bentley, London, pp. 339–340.
- Wymore, F.H. (1934) New California cicadas. Pan-Pacific Entomologist, 10, 166–169.
