The male cicadas' cymbals - those relatively rigid, convex plates which deform and become concave under the action of the cymbalic muscle - are not easy to see. They form a sort of small black cover under the root of the wings, on each side of the male's abdomen. They are protected by dampers placed between the birth of the hind legs and the abdomen of the male. Real vents, these dampers, much more visible than the cymbals, make it possible to regulate the passage of sound by opening and closing.