Cicadetta

Cicadetta is a genus of generally small-bodied annual cicadas widespread across portions of the Palearctic, Indomalayan, North African and Australian realms. In older scientific and taxonomic literature, this genus was popularly referred to as Melampsalta. These cicadas occur in a diverse spectrum of habitats, although most taxa are typically associated with weedy meadows and tallgrass prairie ecosystems. Several related species from North America were recently transferred to the genus Cicadettana.

Distribution and conservation status

Many members of the genus inhabit Southern Europe, Greece, Anatolia, and coastal Mediterranean regions, and they have a long history of association with the civilizations of those areas; revered by many cultures for their complex, loud, and sometimes melodic courtship calls. In addition, species have been recorded from North Africa, Asia and Australia.
Most of the cicadas within this genus are classified by conservation groups as least concern, although many species are endemic to a particular isolated area or threatened by habitat loss primarily due to grazing. Cicadetta montana, the type species, is the only cicada to occur in the British Isles and parts of Scandinavia; however, it is more common in warmer areas of mainland Europe, where it is one of a species complex.

The genus Cicadetta includes: