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Instead, sometime starting in May or June, the Mojave Desert will be abuzz with male Apache cicadas, vibrating a membrane in their abdomen called a “tymbal” to attract a female mate.

Owing to its passive in-flight actuation, this sound-producing organ is known as an 'aeroelastic tymbal'.

Marc Holderied, Professor of Sensory Biology at the School of Biological Sciences, explained: "Our goal in this research was to understand how the corrugations in these tymbals can buckle and snap through in a choreographed way to produce a chain of broadband clicks. With this study, we unfolded the biomechanics that triggers the buckling sequence and shed light on how the clicking sounds are emitted through tymbal resonance."

To uncover the mechanics of the aeroelastic tymbal, Hernando combined state-of-the-art techniques from biology and engineering mechanics.

They have a dedicated tymbal organ, and an abdominal air sac likely serves to amplify the sound.