Category: Genera

Genera of cicadas.

Categories
Callogaeana China Gaeanini India Indonesia Johan Fabricius Malaysia Michel Chantraine Oriental Cicadidae Thailand

Callogaeana festiva festiva (Fabricius, 1803)

Callogaeana festiva festiva is a cicada found in China, Thailand, India, Laos, Malaysia, Indochina, Bhutan, and likely adjacent countries. They are part of a group of cicadas known as “butterfly cicadas” because of their colorful wings.

Photo of a Callogaeana festiva festiva (orange) by Michel Chantraine:
Callogaeana festiva festiva (orange)

Callogaeana festiva festiva (white) by Michel Chantraine:

Photos by Dan Mozgai:
Callogaeana festiva festiva

Callogaeana festiva festiva

Callogaeana festiva festiva

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Gaeanini
SubTribe: Gaeanina
Genus: Callogaeana
Species: Callogaeana festiva festiva (Fabricius, 1803)

Note: there is another sub-species of Callogaeana festiva, but it is not named.

Here is a description of this cicada from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadas by W. L. Distant. 1889-1892. Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.

Male: Body above black; ocelli, eyes and a broad fascia behind them reddish-ochraceous; margins of pronotum and four discal fasciae to mesonotum— of which the two central ones are angulated and connected with the anterior angle at the basal cruciform elevation — greenish-ochraceous. Body beneath and legs lack; apical half of face and a spot between face and eyes reddish-ochraceous.

Tegmina greenish-ochraceous; the radial area, a transverse fascia crossing center from the apex of the radial area, near which is a large triangular spot, apex, and outer and inner margins, and two small spots near the base, blackish. The black area at the apex is more or less broken, sometimes including a small greenish-ochraceous spot. Wings pale bluish-green; the apex broadly black — containing a pale bluish spot — and the margin continued more narrowly black to anal angle.

The face is coarsely transversely striate, and broadly sulcated at the base.

For more information about this cicada, visit Cicadas of India.

A nice comparison of Gaeana & Callogaeana:

Categories
Becquartina Gaeanini Michel Boulard Michel Chantraine Thailand

Becquartina versicolor Boulard, 2005

Becquartina versicolor is a cicada found in Thailand. They are part of a group of cicadas known as “butterfly cicadas” because of their colorful wings.

Becquartina versicolor photo by Michel Chantraine:
Becquartina versicolor Boulard, 2005

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Gaeanini
SubTribe: Becquartinina
Genus: Becquartina
Species: Becquartina versicolor Boulard, 2005

Categories
Arnold Jacobi Becquartina China Gaeanini Michel Chantraine Thailand Vietnam

Becquartina electa (Jacobi, 1902)

Becquartina electa is a cicada found in China, Thailand, and Vietnam. They are part of a group of cicadas known as “butterfly cicadas” because of their colorful wings.

Photo by Michel Chantraine:
Becquartina electa

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Gaeanini
SubTribe: Becquartinina
Genus: Becquartina
Species: Becquartina electa (Jacobi, 1902)

Categories
Ayuthia Ayuthiini Malaysia Thailand Tosenini Vietnam W. L. Distant

Ayuthia spectabile Distant, 1919

Ayuthia spectabile is a cicada found in Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Female Ayuthia spectabile:
Ayuthia spectabile Distant, 1919

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Ayuthiini (formerly Tosenini)*
Subtribe: Ayuthiina
Genus: Ayuthia
Species: Ayuthia spectabile Distant, 1919

* The tribe changed in 2021. See: Hill Kathy B. R., Marshall David C., Marathe Kiran, Moulds Maxwell S., Lee Young June, Pham Thai-Hong, Mohagan Alma B., Sarkar Vivek, Price Benjamin W., Duffels J. P., Schouten Marieke A., de Boer Arnold J., Kunte Krushnamegh, Simon Chris (2021) The molecular systematics and diversification of a taxonomically unstable group of Asian cicada tribes related to Cicadini Latreille, 1802 (Hemiptera:Cicadidae). Invertebrate Systematics 35, 570-601. https://doi.org/10.1071/IS20079

Categories
Auritibicen Japan Masayo Kato Osamu Hikino Tacuini (Cryptotympanini)

Auritibicen kyushyuensis (Kato, 1926)

Auritibicen kyushyuensis is found in Japan and is known as Kyushu-ezo-zemi.

Auritibicen kyushyuensis photo by Osamu Hikino:
Photo by Osamu Hikino

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
SubTribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Auritibicen (formerly Lyristes and Tibicen)
Species: Auritibicen kyushyuensis (Kato, 1926)

For more information about this cicada, visit Cicadae in Japan.

Categories
Auritibicen Japan Osamu Hikino Shōnen Matsumura Tacuini (Cryptotympanini)

Auritibicen japonicus

There are ten sub-species of Auritibicen japonicus. They are found in Japan and known as Ezo-zemi.

Photo of a male Auritibicen japonicus by Osamu Hikino.
photo by Osamu Hikino

Photo of an Auritibicen japonicus by Osamu Hikino:
Lyristes japonicus by Osamu Hikino_001

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
SubTribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Auritibicen (formerly Lyristes and Tibicen)
Subspecies:

  1. Auritibicen japonicus echigo Kato, 1936
  2. Auritibicen japonicus hooshianus (Matsumura, 1936)
  3. Auritibicen japonicus immaculatus Kato, 1933
  4. Auritibicen japonicus interruptus Kato, 1943
  5. Auritibicen japonicus itoi Kato, 1939
  6. Auritibicen japonicus iwaoi Kato, 1939
  7. Auritibicen japonicus japonicus (Kato, 1925)
  8. Auritibicen japonicus kobayashii Kato, 1939
  9. Auritibicen japonicus niger Kato, 1933
  10. Auritibicen japonicus nigrofasciatus Kato, 1940

For more information about this cicada, visit Cicadae in Japan.

Categories
Borneo Burma China Cicadettini Huechys India Indonesia Malaysia Michel Chantraine Sumatra Thailand

Huechys sanguinea

Huechys sanguinea is a cicada found in Burma, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Thailand, and likely many other nations in Asia. There are at least 5 subspecies of this cicada. It is also known as the “medicinal cicada” because people use it as a medicine (see my translation below).

Photo by Michel Chantraine:
Huechys sanguinea

Description1:

Body and legs black; front and face to head, two large spots to mesonotum — sometimes fused and covering the whole disk — and the abdomen, sanguineous; base of abdomen narrowly black.

Tegmina black, opaque; wings shining fuscous, sometimes almost black, the interior of the anal area always paler.

Rostrum passing the intermediate coxae; face moderately compressed, and very coarsely striate.

Long. excl. tegm. Male and Female 17 to 25 millim. Exp. tegm. 43 to 65 millim.

Here’s my translation, from French, of a note about the medicinal properties of the cicada. The original text comes from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadas:

According to Dr. Fumouze, “Huechys sanguinea, the Cicada sangiunolenta d’OIivier, is a very strong [common] insect in certain provinces of China, where it is harvested for the needs [valuable medicinal properties] of the species. In China, this insect would pass into China to enjoy curative properties, and it would be used chiefly in the treatment of rabies, but its value as much as the medicine against rabies is doubtful, but its action on the genitourinary organs seems to be certain, and this is what is in the fore, if the Huechys sanguinea would not yield a particular or similar active ingredient to the cantharides, what I can say now, it is because, by the procedures used to extract Cantharidin from cantharides, I have obtained no results, perhaps I will be later after that, but my first researches have not been completely unsuccessful, because I arrived to extract from Huechys sanguinea the material which gives to the abdominous teguments of this insect their magnificent yellow-orange color. This matter, which I will call Huechys’ red, is of a color exactly like that of the abdomen of the animal, as you can see by means of a sample which I put before your eyes. Huechys sanguinea also contains, but in smaller quantities, another yellowish, hygrometric dying material. “- Btdl. Soc. Ent. Fr. 1888, pp. xxii., xxiii.

TL;DR = “People use it to treat rabies, but it’s doubtful it actually works as a rabies treatment. It does work for its ‘Viagra-like’ properties. And its red pigment can be extracted.”

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Cicadettini
SubTribe: Huechysina
Genus: Huechys
Species:

  • Huechys sanguinea hainanensis Kato, 1931
  • Huechys sanguinea philaemata (Fabricius, 1803)
  • Huechys sanguinea sanguinea (Degeer, 1773)
  • Huechys sanguinea suffusa Distant, 1888
  • Huechys sanguinea wuchangensis Liu, 1940

For more information about this cicada, visit Cicadas of India.

References:

  1. The description and location information comes from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadas by W. L. Distant. 1889-1892. Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
  2. Species name information comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).
  3. 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
Categories
Brood VIII Magicicada Periodical

Brood VIII will emerge in 2019 in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia

Brood VIII will next emerge in 2036.

Periodical cicada Brood VIII (Eight) has emerged in 2019 in western Pennsylvania, eastern Ohio, and the tip of the northern panhandle of West Virginia, as well as Oklahoma (which was unexpected). The last time this brood emerged was in 2002.

  1. Look out for browning of leaves aka “flagging”, and in about a month, look for tiny cicada nymphs on branches where eggs were laid. You can still use the Cicada Safari App to report Flagging. It is available for iPhones/iOS and Android phones.
  2. If you’re on Facebook, there’s a Brood VIII Group for discussion.
  3. Read about my trip to see Brood VIII

What, when, where, and why:

What:

  • Millions of these:
    Magicicada septendecim Brood VII 2018 09
  • Cicada insects with a 17-year life cycle.
  • Some people call them “locusts” but they’re really cicadas.
  • Which species: All three 17-year species, Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini and Magicicada septendecula. How to tell the difference between the species.
  • NOT the green ones that arrive annually.

When: Typically beginning in mid-May and ending in late June. These cicadas will begin to emerge approximately when the soil 8" beneath the ground reaches 64 degrees Fahrenheit. A nice, warm rain will often trigger an emergence.

Other tips: these cicadas will emerge after the trees have grown leaves, and, by my own observation, around the same time Iris flowers bloom.

Where:

Cicadas @ UCONN has the most up to date maps, including this modernized Google map.

You can report cicada sightings using the Cicada Safari App, available for iPhones/iOS and Android phones. The app helps you identify periodical cicada species, take photos and add your findings to a map.

  • Pennsylvania Counties: Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Clarion, Indiana, Lawrence, Venango, Washington, Westmoreland.
  • Pennsylvania Cities: Aliquippa, Allegheny Township, Apollo, Baden, Beaver, Belle Vernon, Bethel Township, Black Lick, Blairsville, Bolivar, Brush Valley Township, Burgettstown, Center Township, Cheswick, Chippewa, Cranberry, Derry Township, Economy Boro, Elizabeth, Ellwood City, Fawn Township, Finleyville, Freedom, Gilpin, Greensburg, Harmony, Hempfield Township, Home, Homer City, Hopewell, Indiana, Leet Township, Ligonier, Midland, Murrysville, Natrona Heights, New Alexandria, New Brighton, New Florence, Parks Township, Pittsburgh, Rayne Township, Rector, Robinson Township, Rochester, Round Hill Park, Sewickley, Shelocta, St Clair Township, Stahlstown, Unity, Washington Township, West Deer, West Wheatfield Township, White Township, and more.
  • Pennsylvania parks: Keystone State Park, Blue Spruce Park, Boyce Park, Crooked Creek Horse Park, Hoodlebug Trail, Pine Ridge Park, Yellow Creek State Park
  • Ohio Counties: Columbiana, Mahoning. Trumbull, Ashtabula.
  • Ohio Cities: Boardman, Calcutta, East Liverpool, Girard, Glenmoor, Lisbon, Mineral Ridge, New Waterford, Toronto, Wellsville, Youngstown, and more.
  • West Virginia Counties: Hancock
  • West Virginia Cities: Weirton, and more.
  • West Virginia parks: Tomlinson Run State Park
  • Oklahoma: Around Lawton, and north of Tulsa. Read this article.

More Location Tips:

  • City data comes from 2002 reports.
  • Brood VIII does overlap with Brood V (which emerged 3 years ago in 2016). Most of Brood VIII is east of V.
  • As a general rule, if you experienced Brood V in 2016, or did not experience Brood VIII in 2002, you won’t experience them this year.
  • Not sure? Ask someone in your community who lived there 17 years ago.

Visually, the cities mentioned above look like this:
Map

Why: Why do they emerge in massive numbers every 17-years? In a nutshell, the long life cycle has helped them avoid gaining a specific above-ground predator, and the massive numbers allow them to satiate predators in general, allowing enough to survive and reproduce.

Bonus content:

Video of newly emerged periodical cicada nymphs:

Magicicada cicada nymph mania from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.

More facts and fun:

1907 Map from Marlatt, C.L.. 1907. The periodical cicada. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology.

Marlatt 1907 08 Brood VIII

Categories
Borneo Indonesia Malaysia Oriental Cicadidae Tosena Tosenini W. L. Distant

Tosena depicta Distant, 1888

Tosena depicta Distant, 1888 is a cicada found on Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia), and possbily other islands of the Malay archipelago.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Tosenini
Genus: Tosena
Species: Tosena depicta Distant, 1888

Tosena depicta Distant, 1888

Species specimen description from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadas by W.L. Distant:

Head and thorax above black; head with a spot at apex of front and a spot at each anterior angle of vertex, two central spots on anterior margin of pronotum, the posterior margin of pronotum, four spots in transverse series on mesonotum, and the posterior margin of mesonotum ochraceous ; the centre of basal cruciform elevation black. Abdomen above reddish ochraceous, with a central, longitudinal, narrow, dorsal, fuscous fascia. Head beneath, sternum, a lateral fascia to opercula, and legs black; a spot at base and one on each side of base of face ; coxas, apices of femora and tibia, tarsi (excluding base) and rostrum (excluding apex) ochraceous. Body beneath ochraceous, the basal segment blackish.

Tegmma dark olivaceous, the costal membrane and the venation reddish ochraceous, and with a transverse and slightly oblique greyish-white fascia near centre, not extending above the base of the second ulnar area; posterior basal margin narrowly reddish ochraceous. Wings black, the basal area reddish ochraceous, with its posterior margin black.

The rostrum reaches the apex of the basal abdominal segment, and the tegmina have their apices considerably attenuated.

Long. excl. tegm. 36 millim. Exp. tegm. 90 millim.

References:

  1. The illustration, description and location information comes from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadas by W. L. Distant. 1889-1892. Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
  2. Species name information comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).
Categories
India Oriental Cicadidae Tibicina Tibicinini W. L. Distant

Tibicina casyapae (Distant, 1888)

Tibicina casyapae (Distant, 1888) is a cicada found in India and Afganastan.

Tibicina casyapae was formerly known as Tibicen casyapae. It was moved from the Tibicen Latreille, 1825 genus to the Tibicina Kolenati, 1857 genus.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Tibicinini
SubTribe: Tibicinina
Genus: Tibicina
Species: Tibicina casyapae (Distant, 1888)

Tibicina casyapae (Distant, 1888)

[female] Head black; margins of front, ocelli, and a small central basal spot, dull reddish; eyes ochraceous. Pronotum dull reddish, the margins and two central longitudinal lines black. Mesonotum black; two central ” antler “- shaped fasciae, the lateral margins, and the basal cruciform elevation, dull reddish, the anterior angles of the last black. Abdomen above black. Body beneath black, somewhat greyishly pilose; face red, its central longitudinal sulcation black; rostrum black; legs reddish, the femora streaked with black beneath.

Tegmina and wings pale hyaline, their bases dull reddish, the venation blackish; the costal membrane of tegmina ochraceous.

The face is large, but laterally compressed and strongly striated, with a profound central longitudinal sulcation. The rostrum about reaches the intermediate coxae; the legs are robust, and the anterior femora have a strong spine beneath at apex and a similar spine near base.

Long. excl. tegm. [female] , 35 millim. Exp. tegm. 90 millim.

References:

  1. The illustration, description and location information comes from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadas by W. L. Distant. 1889-1892. Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
  2. Species name information comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).
  3. Nast, J., 1972a. Palaearctic Auchenorrhyncha (Homoptera). An annotated check list. Warszawa: Polish Sci. Publ. 550 p. (records).