Dedicated to cicadas, the most amazing insects in the world.
Thopha colorata is a cicada found in Australia. It is also known as the Orange Drummer and W Bug because of the W on its back (mesonotum) (thanks David Emery).
Photo by Jodi:
A gallery of more of Jodi’s photos.
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Thophini
Genus: Thopha
Species: Thopha colorata Distant, 1907
For more information about this cicada, visit A web guide toThe cicadas of Australia by L. W. Popple.
Can you identify this cicada from Brisbane Australia? These images were sent to us by Darren Fairbrother. Help us id this cicada.
Update! It is a Psaltoda claripennis Ashton, 1921 aka Clanger, from Australia.
For more information about this cicada, visit A web guide toThe cicadas of Australia by L. W. Popple.
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
SubTribe: Cryptotympanina
Genera: Genera
Species: Psaltoda claripennis Ashton, 1921
Thopha sessiliba is a cicada found in Australia. It is also known as the Northern Double Drummer.
Photo by Kees Green:
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Thophini
Genus: Thopha
Species: Thopha sessiliba Distant, 1892
For more information about this cicada, visit A web guide toThe cicadas of Australia by L. W. Popple.
Diemeniana euronotiana is a cicada found in Australia. It is also known as a Golden Twanger.
Photo by David Emery:
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Cicadettini
SubTribe: Cicadettina
Genus: Diemeniana
Species: Diemeniana euronotiana (Kirkaldy, 1909)
For more information about this cicada, visit A web guide to the cicadas of Australia by L. W. Popple.
Tribe information comes from: MARSHALL, DAVID C. et al.A molecular phylogeny of the cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) with a review of tribe and subfamily classification.Zootaxa, [S.l.], v. 4424, n. 1, p. 1—64, may 2018. ISSN 1175-5334. Available at: https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4424.1.1
Australia has a Cicada Killer Wasp: Exeirus lateritius. It belongs to the same family, Crabronidae, as American Cicada Killer Wasps. Dr. Lindsay Popple says “They go for the big ones like Thopha [Drummer cicadas], Cyclochila [Green Grocers, Yellow Mondays]”.
This was provided by Gary Warner, and was taken by Jeff Doring.
This photo of an empty-handed Cicada Killer heading back to its burrow is by Gary Warner.
Here is a video from YouTube. According to the video description, they are also known as Ground Digger Wasps.
Neopsaltoda crassa Distant, 1910, is a cicada found in Queensland, Australia.
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Psaltodini
SubTribe: ?
Genus: Neopsaltoda
Species: Neopsaltoda crassa Distant, 1910
N. crassa is the only member of the genus Neopsaltoda. Neopsaltoda genus description by W. L. Distant:
Characters. — Head including eyes much broader than base of mesonotum, medial length about half the breadth between eyes, front prominent, at somewhat right angles with the lateral margins of the vertex which are straightly oblique; eyes somewhat large and prominent, extending beyond the anterior angles of the pronotum ; pronotum with the medial length about half as long as breadth at base, the anterior margin arcuate thus narrowing towards lateral margins which are rounded, posterior margin subtruncate; mesonotum including cruciform elevation nearly as long as broad; abdomen short and broad, but longer than greatest breadth, second segment very broad, dilated at lateral margins and lobately continued on each side beneath, the true tympanal coverings entire; opercula somewhat short, broader than long, overlapping internally , their apices broadly rounded; rostrum passing the intermediate coxae; tegmina and wings subhyaline; tegmina about two and a half times as long as greatest breadth, apical areas eight; wings about twice as long as broad, apical areas six; abdomen beneath more or less oblique depressed from near base to apex.
Arenopsaltria fullo (Walker, 1850) was formerly known as Henicopsaltria fullo. Yes, its name has changed since 1913. It was moved to a new genus. The Henicopsaltria genus still exists.
Arenopsaltria fullo is found in Australia.
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Arenopsaltriini
SubTribe: ?
Genus: Arenopsaltria
Species: Arenopsaltria fullo (Walker, 1850)
The image says Henicopsaltria fullo, but the newest name of this cicada is Arenopsaltria fullo.
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Psaltoda aurora Distant, 1881, is found in Northeastern Queensland Australia and is commonly known as the Red Roarer.
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
SubTribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Psaltoda
Species: Psaltoda aurora Distant, 1881
Psaltoda genus description by W. L. Distant:
Characters. — Head including eyes a little wider than anterior margin of pronotum, more than half as long as space between eyes and about as long as pronotum, ocelli on middle of vertex and much farther apart from eyes than from each other, face longer than broad, strongly globose; pronotum shorter than mesonotum including the cruciform elevation, the lateral margins not convexly ampliated but considerably narrowed anteriorly; mesonotum with its base narrower than head including eyes; abdomen considerably longer than broad, beneath more or less obliquely depressed from base to apex;opercula short, not or scarcely passing base of abdomen ; tympana covered; tegmina about three times as long as broad, basal cell longer than broad, apical areas eight ; wings more than half the length of tegmina, apical areas six.
Macrotristria godingi Distant, 1907, is found in Northeastern Queensland Australia and is commonly known as the Tiger Prince! It looks like a Tiger, doesn’t it?
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Macrotristriini
SubTribe: ?
Genus: Macrotristria
Species: Macrotristria godingi Distant, 1907
Macrotristria genus description by W. L. Distant:
Characters. — Length of head more than half the breadth between eyes, including eyes considerably broader than base of mesonotum; ocelli much more remote from eyes than from each other; face longer than broad, large and globose; pronotum about as long as mesonotum including the cruciform elevation and longer than head, the lateral margins with a distinct anterior lobe; abdomen about as long as space between apex of head and base of cruciform elevation; tympana concealed; opercula scarcely extending beyond base of abdomen; rostrum reaching or slightly passing the posterior coxae; tegmina three times as long as broad, basal cell longer than broad, apical areas eight; wings more than half the length of tegmina, apical areas six.
Thopha sessiliba Distant, 1892 is found in northern Austalia and is commonly known as the Northern Double Drummer. Like other members of the Thophini tribe, T. sessiliba has prominent sack-like tymbal covers, from which they get their common name “drummers”.
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Thophini
Genus: Thopha
Species: Thopha sessiliba Distant, 1892
Thopha genus description by W. L. Distant:
Characters. — Head short, broad, equal in width to apex of pronotum; eyes more or less pedunculated, prominent; ocelli four times more distant from eyes than from each other; apex of clavus acuminate; front destitute of a longitudinal sulcus; pronotum with the lateral margins almost truncate or slightly convex, widened forwardly; tegmina vitreous, basal area not twice longer than broad, interior ulnar area broadened towards apex; ulnar veins distant at base; wings vitreous, with six apical areas; opercula short, transverse; tympanal coverings very strongly developed and sac-like, projecting beyond the lateral abdominal margins in male.