Occurrence of a Northern Cicada, Okanagana rimosa 
(Homoptera: Cicadidae), in the Southern Appalachians 
E. E. Brown 
Box 343, Davidson, North Carolina 28036 
AND 
J. D. Brown 
United States Forest Service 
504 Justis Drive, Greeneville, Tennessee 37743 
ABSTRACT . — The cicada Okanagana rimosa (Say) is reported from 
five mountain counties in North Carolina and one in Tennessee. This 
represents a range extension southward of ca. 300 miles (485 km) from 
Rappahannock Co. in northern Virginia. 
Virtually all of the relatively large cicadas of the eastern United 
States are members of the genus Tibicen. Although smaller than most of 
its congeners, Tibicen canicularis (Harris) is one of the characteristic 
forms in the Northeast, and it perhaps extends farther north than any 
other member of the genus. Okanagana is a large genus (several dozen 
species) of mostly smaller western and southwestern forms. However, 
according to Davis (1930), Okanagana rimosa (Say) and O. canadensis 
(Provancher) are noteworthy in being distributed across much of 
southern Canada and spilling down into the border states of the United 
States. The distribution of O. canadensis appears to be slightly the more 
northerly of the two. The most southerly eastern records for O. rimosa 
have been in Pennsylvania, northeastern Ohio, and, as a helpful reviewer 
reminds us, a specimen collected by Allard (1938) at about 3,500 feet 
(1,070 m) on Mary’s Rock, Rappahannock Co., in northern Virginia. 
For a number of years, one of us (E.E.B.) has had an interest in 
cicadas. He was aware of the statement by Davis (1922) that, from an 
elevation of 3,900 feet (1,190 m) on Bald Knob, Bath Co., in western 
Virginia, a friend had brought to him a headless specimen apparently of 
T. canicularis (Harris). Considering the numerous northern organisms 
that range southward in the mountains, he surmised that the ranges of 
the small northern forms O. rimosa and T. canicularis might extend 
farther south in the Appalachians than had been reported. Consequently, 
he searched along the Blue Ridge Parkway, then being unaware that his 
hearing was not adequate to have detected the call of O. rimosa. When 
J.D.B. relocated to Marion, N.C. (Grandfather District, Pisgah National 
Forest), E.E.B. asked him to be alert for cicadas, especially small ones. 
Brimleyana 16:5-7, July 1990 
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