Alarm Clock Squawker

Appearance

Fore wing length: 20–26 mm.

Naming

Walker 1850
Cicada mneme Walker, 1850 synonym
Pauropsalta leurensis Goding & Froggatt, 1904 synonym
Cicada antica Walker, 1850 synonym

Also simply known as 'Ticker'.

Distribution

From near Applethorpe in south-east Queensland, along and to the east of the Great Dividing Range through New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory into the median rainfall areas of Victoria, west to the Grampians, with an isolated population in the Mt Lofty Ranges of South Australia. Adults can be found from September to February.
Notable localities: Girraween National Park (Queensland), Royal National Park (Sydney), Canberra, Mount Lofty.

Status

Least Concern

Behavior

A series of soft clicks followed by a rattle buzz similar to an old fashioned mechanical alarm clock. Each phrase has a fairly short duration, with many repeats of the call as males move between tree trunks. Calling males are very active, wary and difficult to observe, despite their call being conspicuous. Females can usually be found in small shrubs

Habitat

This species occurs in open eucalypt forest and temperate heathland on sandstone, granite and occasionally metasediments.