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Issue: Vol. 5862 No. 3: 6 Aug. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-08-06
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5862.3.1
Page range: 401-428
Abstract views: 316
PDF downloaded: 97

Cicadetta montana species group at its western limit: three new records for Spain including two new species to science (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)

Swiss Federal Institute for Forest; Snow and Landscape Research WSL; Zürcherstrasse 111; CH—8903 Birmensdorf; Switzerland and Natural History Museum of Berne; Bernastrasse 15; CH—3005 Bern; Switzerland.
10 chemin des Châtaigniers; F—74150 Rumilly; France.
Université Bourgogne Europe; CNRS; Biogéosciences UMR 6282; F—21000 Dijon; France and Muséum d’Histoire naturelle de Dijon—Jardin de l’Arquebuse; 14 rue Jehan de Marville; F—21000 Dijon; France.
Hemiptera bioacoustics biogeography cicadas ecological niche endemism Iberian Peninsula morphological stasis species complex

Abstract

Twenty-five years ago, Cicadetta montana s.l. was recognized as a species complex characterized by weak and overlapping morphological traits but distinct song patterns. Since then, many parts of Europe have been investigated in detail, with no fewer than 15 species and three subspecies being described. However, the Iberian Peninsula has never before been thoroughly studied using bioacoustic methods; moreover, few records of Cicadetta species from this region are available. We identified five species of the Cicadetta montana species complex from Spain based on distinct song patterns, with the Cantabrian Mountain chain showing particularly high diversity. Cicadetta cerdaniensis and C. petryi have previously been reported from Spanish regions close to the French border; we examined diagnostic characters in populations further west. Cicadetta montana s. str. is recorded from Spain for the first time and Cicadetta iberica sp. nov. and Cicadetta euskara sp. nov. are formally described. Interestingly, both new taxa are characterized not only by distinct song patterns but also by morphological features that distinguish them from many other known Cicadetta species. Cicadetta euskara sp. nov. is particularly remarkable from a biogeographical perspective because its complex song pattern resembles that of C. macedonica, an eastern and southeastern European species, whose nearest known populations are separated from Cicadetta euskara sp. nov. by approximately 1600 km.

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How to Cite

Hertach, T., Gurcel, K. & Puissant, S. (2026) Cicadetta montana species group at its western limit: three new records for Spain including two new species to science (Hemiptera: Cicadidae). Zootaxa, 5862 (3), 401–428. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5862.3.1