Songs, genetics and morphology : revealing the taxonomic units in the European Cicadetta cerdaniensis cicada group with a description of new taxa (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)

Recent acoustic studies have revealed that Cicadetta montana (Scopoli, 1772), which was once thought to be asingle widespread Palaearctic cicada species, is actually a complex of many taxa. Although some song patternsare very distinct, others comprise groups of closely related species, as in the case of Cicadetta cerdaniensis Puissant& Boulard, 2000, Cicadetta cantilatrix Sueur & Puissant, 2007, and Cicadetta anapaistica Hertach, 2011.Seven spatially or behaviourally isolated metapopulations belonging to this song group from Italy and Switzerlandwere detected and investigated using acoustic, molecular, and morphological methods. Taxonomic decisionsin this group are challenging because of a lack of truly diagnostic morphological characters, variously colouredmorphs, qualitatively intermediate song patterns in contact zones, and strong temperature dependence of songdurationcharacters. Molecular genetic studies suggest rapid speciation resulting in incomplete lineage sorting andintrogression. It is only by using multiple sources of data that species can be delimited. The new species Cicadettasibillae sp. nov. and the new subspecies Cicadetta anapaistica lucana ssp. nov. were described using the microstructureof the male calling songs. Cicadetta sibillae sp. nov. occurs from southern Switzerland to centralItaly, and is the most abundant cicada in the Northern Apennine. Cicadetta anapaistica lucana ssp. nov. isendemic to a small southern Italian distribution range, and seems to be threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation.There is strong evidence that current distribution patterns and phylogenetic relationships of the Cicadettacerdaniensis group are linked to speciation events in Pleistocene glacial refugia in the Italian, Iberian, and Balkanpeninsulas.