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Gaeana Gaeanini India Raghu Ananth

Gaeana atkinsoni from the Uttara Kannada district in India

Here’s a cicada I never thought I would see, but thanks to Raghu Ananth, here are two photos of a Tosena sibyla Gaeana atkinsoni.

Gaeana atkinsoni Distant, 1892 from Uttara Kannada district in India by Raghu Ananth

This photo was taken on May 2nd, 2009:

Gaeana atkinsoni Distant, 1892 from Uttara Kannada district in India by Raghu Ananth

Note the characteristic double stripes on the forewings. Note how the smaller stripe doesn’t make it all the way to the claval fold.

Here are observations about this cicada provided by Raghu Ananth:

Brief description –
The cicada has red eyes, red thorax with black patch above, red abdomen, black wings with yellow veins and a large yellow patch lines on the wings.

Numbers. found – several dozens.
Habitat – tree barks near forest path
length – 4-5 cms

The orange-red coloured cicada is one of the beautiful cicadas in the forests. It has a red body, red eyes and black wings with yellow patches. During one of our trips to the evergreen forests in the Uttara Kannada district (Karnataka), we spotted two of them camouflaged on the bark of each tree, actively walking up and down and then appearing a colourful red when in flight from one bark of the tree to another. Their singing, however, seemed not in sync with each another. On our approach, they would try to hide behind the bark or fly to a distant tree.

Gaeana atkinsoni
This illustration of a T. sibylla Gaeana atkinsoni comes from the document A monograph of oriental cicadidae (1892) by W. L. Distant.

Updated (5/8/2014) with a video by Harinath Ravichandran:

Categories
Brood XXII Magicicada Periodical Roy Troutman

Periodical Cicada Turrets Spotted in Chilo, OH

Roy Troutman spotted and photographed periodical cicada turrets in Chilo Lock 34 Park in Chilo, OH. We expect 13 year cicadas to emerge in Ohio and Kentucky this year, and this is proof it will happen.

Chilo Lock 34 Park

This group of cicadas is not officially aligned with a Brood, but given enough research, documentation and population samples, I imagine they’ll be aligned with Brood XXII (although they might be genetically different from the cicadas in LA and MS). TBD.

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Anatomy Dundubia Santisuk Vibul Thailand

Cicada anatomy photo by Santisuk Vibul. Dundubia sp.

This photo points out the Tymbal (the organ that makes the cicada’s signature sound), the Tympanum (their hearing organ), the Operculum (which covers the Tympanum), and its wings.

Dundubia

Dundubia

Dundubia

Dundubia

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Cicadmalleus Michel Boulard Stephane Puissant

The Hammerhead Cicada – A new discovery!

It looks like a new sub-tribe, genus and species of cicada has been identified by Michel Boulard and Stéphane Puissant. Cicadmalleus micheli. The cicada has a head that looks like the head of a hammerhead shark! Cicadmalleus means “cicada hammer”, and micheli refers to Bruno Michel who found the cicada (thanks David Emery).

I heard the cicada was discovered in Thailand, which makes sense because that is where Michael Boulard does most of his research.

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Angamiana Becquartina Gaeana Platypleura Tacua Thailand Tosena Trengganua

A visual comparison of some cicadas of Southeast Asia

This is a photo of one of my displays at home. Some of the specimens aren’t in the best shape, but it is good enough to distinguish the species.

Angamiana floridula, Becquartina electa, Gaeana cheni, Gaeana festiva, Platypleura mira, Tacua speciosa, Tosena albata, Tosena melanoptera, Tosena paviei, and Trengganua sibylla are featured in the image.

A visual comparison of some cicadas of Southeast Asia

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Australia Cyclochila Pauropsalta Thopha

Photos of Cicadas from Australia

Kees Green sent us many photos of cicadas taken in Australia.

Here is a sample:

A Green Grocer (Cyclochila australasiae) nymph:

Green Grocer Cyclochila australasiae nymph by Kees Green

An unidentified Pauropsalta sp.:

Pauropsalta sp by Kees Green

A Thopha sessilibia:

Thopha sessilibia by Kees Green

More cicada images from Kees:

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Brood II Magicicada Periodical

M. cassini in Connecticut

A news story came out in November reporting that M. cassini appeared in areas of Connecticut where they were not expected during the Brood II emergence this year. This must have been a 2013 highlight for cicada researchers in the Connecticut area.

Categories
Aleeta Australia Lamotialnini

Macro photo of a Floury Baker

Floury Baker

This is a wonderful macro photo of a Floury Baker (Aleeta curvicosta) from Australia. Thanks to Cameron for posting this photo on our Facebook page.

Categories
Australia Psaltoda Video

Timelapse video of a Redeye Cicada Molting

This video taken by Samantha Madell in NSW Australia is a time lapse video of of a Redeye Cicada (Psaltoda moerens) molting.

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Tibicen

New Species of Tibicen: Tibicen neomexicensis

A new species of Tibicen cicada, Tibicen neomexicensis, has been described by Brian J. Stucky.

Read more about Morphology, bioacoustics, and ecology of Tibicen neomexicensis sp. n., a new species of cicada from the Sacramento Mountains in New Mexico, U.S.A. (Hemiptera, Cicadidae, Tibicen).

Thanks to David Marshall for the tip.