View source for Tanna japonensis

{{Short description|Species of true bug}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Tanna japonensis.JPG
| image_caption = 
| genus = Tanna
| species = japonensis
| subdivision_ranks = Subspecies
| subdivision = ''T. j. ishigakiana'' Distant, 1892<br />''T. j. japonensis'' Kato, 1960
| authority = [[William Lucas Distant|Distant]], 1892
| synonyms = ''Pomponia japonensis'' Distant, 1892
}}

'''''Tanna japonensis''''', also called the '''evening cicada''' or {{nihongo|'''''higurashi'''''|日暮, 蜩, 茅蜩, ひぐらし, ヒグラシ|lead=yes}}, is a [[species]] of [[cicada]], a family of [[insect]]s, and a member of the genus ''[[Tanna (cicada)|Tanna]]''. It is distributed throughout [[East Asia]], and is most common in Japan. Its shrill call can be heard most often in the morning and evening.

One of its possible [[kanji]] names (茅蜩) is derived from the character (茅) for a category of grasses that includes ''[[Miscanthus sinensis]]'', a type of reed that it inhabits. In Japan, it is also known as {{nihongo|''kanakana''|カナカナ}} because of the noise that it makes.

== Characteristics ==
The adult male has a body length of {{convert|28|-|38|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}, the female is {{convert|21|-|25|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}. The male's abdomen is longer and thicker than that of the female, making it easy to distinguish between them. In addition, the intra-[[abdominal cavity]] of the male is more developed, giving it a more [[resonance|resonant]] call.<ref name=J1>{{Citation
 | last = Itō 
 | first =  ShūShirō Hokuryūkan
 | year = 1997
 | title = 学生版 日本昆虫図鑑 (Students Encyclopedia of Insects, Japanese Version)
 | isbn = 4-8326-0040-0
 | publisher = Kita Takashi Hall
 | location = [[Tokyo]]
 | language = Japanese
}}<br>
{{Citation
 | last=Nakao
 | first=Shunichi 
 | script-title=ja:セミの自然誌 - 鳴き声に聞く種分化のドラマ
 | year = 1990
 | publisher=Chuokoron New Company 
 | isbn=4-12-100979-7
 | language = Japanese
}}<br>
{{Citation
 | last = Miyatake
 | first =  Tanomoto
 | last2 =  Kanou
 | first2 =  Yasutsugu
 | year = 1992
 | script-title=ja:検索入門 セミ・バッタ
 | isbn = 978-4-586-31038-8
 | language = Japanese
}}
</ref>

The body is coloured reddish-brown with green around the [[compound eye]] and in the centre and back of the [[thorax]]; mountain dwelling specimens tend to be darker.<ref name=J1/>

== Habitat ==
In Japan, their habitat ranges from [[Humid continental climate|temperate]] [[Hokkaido]] in the far north to [[subtropical]] [[Amami Ōshima]], close to [[Taiwan]] (variants and subspecies, such as ''T. j. ishigakiana''), and live in a wide range of habitats. They live in the [[cypress]], [[Japanese Cedar|cedar]], and [[hardwood]] forests, from the mountainous regions in Hokkaido to the plains of northern Kyūshū, and even in southern Kyushu, they can be found in slightly higher mountain elevations.<ref name=J1/>

== Ecology ==
[[File:Epipomponia nawai on Tanna japonensis.JPG|thumb|Parasite moth ''Epipomponia nawai'' ([[Lepidoptera]]: [[Epipyropidae]]) caterpillars attached to the abdomen of a female ''Tanna japonensis'']]

The [[parasite|parasitic]] [[moth]] ''[[Epipomponia nawai]]'' uses the animal as a host for its eggs. The ''T. japonensis'' can also come under attack from [[Flesh-fly|flesh flies]].<ref name=J1/>
[[File:Epipomponia nawai 1st instar larva.jpg|thumb|left|A first-instar larva of ''Epipomponia nawai'' (about 0.6&nbsp;mm long) near the basal area of the right hind wing of a female ''Tanna japonensis'']]

== Call ==
{{Listen |filename=Tanna japonensis v01.ogg|title=Sounds of ''T. japonensis'' | description=Hayano Cemetery Park, [[Kawasaki, Kanagawa]], Japan, 6:40PM July 17, 2011 (Some background noise from wind sound) |format=[[Ogg]]}}
The peak time for hearing ''T. japonensis'' is autumn, but they can also be heard at the end of summer in some regions. From September until mid-October, their calls can be heard almost every day.<ref name=J1/>

The males call with a distinctive, melancholy sound. This occurs before sunrise, and they often sing at twilight or after sunset, in dusk, when the temperature has dropped, or when it becomes cloudy.<ref name=J1/> The call changes with temperature, being correlated with the firing rate of the [[tymbal]] [[nerve]].<ref>{{Citation
|title=Insect sounds and communication: physiology, behaviour, ecology, and evolution
|author=Sakis Drosopoulos and Michael F. Claridge
|publisher=CRC Press
|year=2006
|isbn=0-8493-2060-7
|pages=532
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eqL4mAhm0-cC&pg=PA113&dq=Tanna+japonensis
}} page 113</ref>

In Japan, the sound is popularly associated with melancholy, and it has been the subject of literature, and television shows, such as "Summer Evening" and {{Nihongo|''[[Higurashi no Naku Koro ni]]''|ひぐらしのなく頃に||lit. ''When the Cicadas Cry''}}, feature it as a sound effect or a plot point. Their calls are quite loud, but do not carry well over distance.<ref name=J1/>

== Subspecies ==
''T. j. ishigakiana'' is found in [[Ishigaki, Okinawa|Ishigaki]], an island in [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]]. Though once listed on the [[red list]], they are no longer thought to be endangered. Their cry is a more metallic sound with a faster tempo.{{cn|date=April 2018}}
{{Portal|Insects|Japan}}

==References==
{{Commons+cat|Tanna japonensis|Tanna japonensis}}
{{Wikispecies}}
{{Reflist}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q1036339}}

[[Category:Tanna (genus)]]
[[Category:Hemiptera of Asia]]
[[Category:Insects described in 1892]]