Category: China

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Ayuthiini Burma Cambodia China Distantalna India Laos Michel Chantraine Oriental Cicadidae Thailand Vietnam W. L. Distant

Distantalna splendida splendida (Distant, 1878)

Distantalna splendida splendida is a cicada found in China, Thailand, India, Burma, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. It is formerly known as Tosena splendida. It is known in pop culture as the basis for the Cicada 3301 logo.

Photo by Dan Mozgai:
Distantalna splendida formerly Tosena splendida

Photo by Michel Chantraine:
splendida

This description comes from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadas by W. L. Distant. 1889-1892. Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website:

Body above black; front with a reddish spot at each basal angle; eyes, two small spots on vertex, four large spots to pronotum (two on disk and one at each posterior lateral angle) and two spots on disk of mesonotum,* luteous. Body beneath and legs black; lateral margins of the face, a wide central annulation to femora, and a central discal series of subtriangular spots, sanguineous.

Tegmina and wings— where not obscured by darker markings— pale hyaline, exhibiting varied opaline luster, which in some lights is found to be ornamented with close and regular series of transverse darker strife ; tegmina at base (narrowly) and costal membrane shining blackish ; venation bright luteous and for two-thirds from base broadly margined with shining blackish, and a series of shining blackish marginal spots on the apices of longitudinal veins to apical areas largest and somewhat fused at apex; claval area pale greenish. Wings pale greenish for nearly two-thirds their area from the base; remaining apical area shining blackish, enclosing a submarginal series of pale opaline spots, of which the largest are subapical.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Ayuthiini (formerly Tosenini as of 20212)
Subtribe: Distantalnina
Genus: Distantalna
Species: Distantalna splendida splendida (Distant, 1878)

References:

  1. Species name change information comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).
  2. New Tribe: 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
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China Cryptotympana India Laos Michel Chantraine Tacuini (Cryptotympanini) Thailand Vietnam W. L. Distant

Cryptotympana mandarina Distant, 1891

Cryptotympana mandarina is a cicada found in China, Laos, Vietnam, India, Thailand, and likely adjacent nations.

Photo by Michel Chantraine:
Cryptotympana mandarina

This description comes from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadas by W. L. Distant. 1889-1892. Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website:

Male: Body above black; eyes fuscous; the anal segment of the abdomen with an ochraceous spot on each side. Body beneath and legs black; a spot at the anterior margin of the face, two marginal spots between face and eyes, lateral margins of face, femoral streaks, posterior tibiae (excluding bases and apices), margins of opercula, segmental margins (excluding disk), and apex of terminal segment, dark ochraceous.

Tegmina and wings hyaline, the venation fuscous; tegmina with the costal membrane castaneous, its extreme costal edge blackish, the post-costal area blackish; basal cell black; about the basal third of tegmina and the subcostal area to ax^es pale castaneous. Wings with about basal half irregularly very dark castaneous.

The opercula extend to about half the length of the abdomen, slightly overlap at the basal margin, somewhat concavely and obliquely sinuate at outer margins, and inwardly beyond base widely divergent to apices, which are narrowly and obtusely convex.

Long. excl. tegm. Male. 40 millim. Exp. tegm. 115 millim.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
SubTribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Cryptotympana
Species: Cryptotympana mandarina Distant, 1891

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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:

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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)

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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
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Carl Stal China India Oriental Cicadidae Platypleura Platypleurini William T. Davis

Platypleura coelebs Stål, 1863

Platypleura coelebs Stål, 1863, is a cicada found in India and China.

Platypleura coelebs was formerly known as Poecilopsaltria coelebs.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Platypleurini
Genus: Platypleura
Species: Platypleura coelebs Stål, 1863

Platypleura coelebs Stål, 1863

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

Head ochraceous; front, excluding a central spot, margins of vertex between front and eyes, and a transverse fascia between the eyes black; pronotum pale castaneous, the posterior and lateral margins ochraceous; mesonotum castaneous, with four large obconical black spots on anterior margin, the central two smallest, a central discal elongate black spot and a small black spot in front of each anterior angle of the basal cruciform elevation; abdomen black, the tympanal coverings, and the posterior segmental margins ochraceous. Head beneath, sternum, legs, rostrum and opercula ochraceous; a transverse fascia between the eyes — enclosing a pale spot on face — inner margins of eyes, posterior margin of face and apex of rostrum black: abdomen beneath castaneous, with the posterior segmental margins and the apes ochraceous.

Tegmina with about the basal half creamy opaque shaded with pale fuscous, and more or less outwardly defined by an indistinct curved pale fuscous fascia, remaining area hyaline, costal membrane and venation dark ochraceous, the transverse veins at the bases of the second, third, fourth, fifth and seventh apical areas slightly infuscated; wings stramineous for about two-thirds their area from base, this coloration outwardly margined with fuscous, remaining area pale hyaline, the venation dark ochraceous.

The rostrum extends a little beyond the inner angles of the opercula, which are somewhat well separated.

Long. excl. tegm. 22 to 23 millim. Exp. tegm. 64 to 68 millim. Exp. pronot. angl. 11 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).
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China Cryptotympana Johan Fabricius Korea Oriental Cicadidae Tacuini (Cryptotympanini)

Cryptotympana atrata (Fabricius, 1775)

Cryptotympana atrata (Fabricius, 1775) is a cicada found in China and Korea.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
SubTribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Cryptotympana
Species: Cryptotympana atrata (Fabricius, 1775)

Cryptotympana atrata was formerly named Cryptotympana sinensis.
.

Cryptotympana atrata
Photo by Jon Allen in Yeouido park in Seoul in South Korea.

(Cryptotympana sinensis) species description from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadas by W.L. Distant:

[Male] Head ochraceous; front with the margins (but not meeting at apex) broadly castaneous; eyes olivaceous; ocelli reddish-ochraceous, with their surrounding area castaneous. Pronotum castaneous, the margins and a central fascia, which is much widened and ampliated at base, ochraceous. Mesonotum ochraceous, with two large obconical castaneous spots near each lateral margin and two large, central, very obscure obconical spots, which are only visible by their slightly darker margins; basal cruciform elevation pale olivaceous. Abdomen above ochraceous, the posterior segmental margins castaneous. Body beneath and legs ochraceous; face with the lateral carinae castaneous; apices of the tibiae and tarsi castaneous.

Tegmina pale hyaline, the venation ochraceous, the costal membrane pale greenish, and the basal third of the tegminal area tinged with pale ochraceous. Wings pale hyaline, the venation ochraceous, and the base narrowly tinged with pale ochraceous.

The face is tumid, the lateral carina robust and slightly waved; the rostrum extends to the intermediate coxae; the opercula are somewhat short, with their lateral margins slightly concave and their posterior margins oblique, they overlap at the center, and their apices extend to about the second abdominal segment.

Long. excl. tegm. [male] 40 millim. Exp. tegm. 118 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).
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China Gaeanini Genera Insectorum Taona W. L. Distant

Taona versicolor Distant, 1909

Taona versicolor Distant, 1909, is found in China. Like other members of the tribe Gaeanini, its wings are colorful and reminiscent of butterflies.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Gaeanini
SubTribe: Gaeanina
Genus: Taona
Species: Taona versicolor Distant, 1909

Taona versicolor Distant, 1909

Taona genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head (including eyes) about as wide as base of mesonotum and as long as pronotum, the front not obliquely deflected but horizontally produced in front of and a little below the anterior margin of the vertex; ocelli somewhat close together near middle of vertex; face prominent, somewhat compressed, strongly transversely ridged; clypeus strongly compressed and reaching the anterior coxae; pronotum about as long as mesonotum, its lateral margins nearly straight; rostrum- reaching the posterior cox

References:

  1. The illustration and description comes from the journal Genera Insectorum, and a specific article from 1914 by W. L. Distant titled Homoptera. Fam. Cicadidae, Subfam, Gaeaninae. Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
  2. Species name verification comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).
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Angamiana China Genera Insectorum India Polyneurini Thailand Vietnam W. L. Distant

Angamiana floridula Distant, 1904

Angamiana floridula Distant, 1904, is found in the southeastern quadrant of Asia, including China, India, Vietnam, and Thailand.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Polyneurini
SubTribe: Polyneurina
Genus: Angamiana
Species: Angamiana floridula Distant, 1904

A. floridula

Angamiana floridula
Photo by Dan Mozgai.

angamiana floridula
Photo by
Michel Chantraine.

Photo by Martin Kolner
Photo by Martin Kolner.

Angamiana genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head small, including eyes much narrower than pronotum and narrower than base of mesonotum, ocelli much wider apart from eyes than from each other, front much depressed; pronotum longer than mesonotum, its lateral and posterior margins very broad, the first strongly ampliated and obscurely angulated; abdomen longer than space between apex of head and base of cruciform elevation, above with its lateral areas oblique; tympanal orifices completely covered ; opercula broad, obtusely angulated, not reaching the middle of abdomen; tegmina semihyaline, with the apical third more or less reticulateh^ veined, the apical areas numerous, generali}’ twelve or thirteen in number.

References:

  1. The illustration and genus description comes from the journal Genera Insectorum, and a specific article from 1913 by W. L. Distant titled Homoptera. Fam. Cicadidae, Subfam, Cicadinae. Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
  2. Current species name verified using Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).
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China Genera Insectorum Platypleurini Pycna W. L. Distant

Pycna coelestia Distant, 1904

Pycna coelestia Distant, 1904 is found in China.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Platypleurini
Genus: Pycna
Species: Pycna coelestia Distant, 1904

Pycna coelestia Distant, 1904

Pynca genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head (including eyes) only about two-thirds the width of base of mesonotum, not truncate anteriorly, but obliquely deflected in front of eyes; pronotum transverse, the posterior margin about half the length of its vertex, the lateral margins ampliated, but not angulated, and scarcely extending over the base of tegmina ; mesonotum about as long as pronotum ; anterior femora tuberculously angulated near base and apex, posterior tibiae spinous on apical area; metasternum a little elevated and centrally sulcate; tympana well covered; abdomen short and robust; opercula short, very broad, their apices more or less convexly rounded ; rostrum reaching the posterior coxae; tegmina with the costal membrane much arched at base, dilated, and always as broad or very much broader than the costal area; basal cell very broad; ulnar veins widely separated at their bases.

Not sure of the species, but this cicada belongs to the Pycna genus. Photo by Michel Chantraine:
Pycna sp.

References:

  1. The illustration and genus description comes from the journal Genera Insectorum, and a specific article from 1913 by W. L. Distant titled Homoptera. Fam. Cicadidae, Subfam, Cicadinae. Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website.
  2. Current species name verified using Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).