Here’s a cicada I never thought I would see, but thanks to Raghu Ananth, here are two photos of a Tosena sibylaGaeana atkinsoni.
This photo was taken on May 2nd, 2009:
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.
The cicadas belonging to the tribe Gaeanini (Ambragaeana sp., Gaeana sp., and Becquartina sp.)1 are among the world’s most beautiful cicadas. These cicadas have broad, multicolored wings. Their wings beat slowly rather than vibrate quickly, allowing them to flutter like butterflies. Michel Boulard calls them “Butterfly Cicadas” 2. Watch the video of a Gaeana festiva in flight:
Behold the beautiful “Butterfly Cicadas”:
Ambragaeana ambra
photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Brown forewings with white/cream colored spots. Black hind wings with white/cream colored spots/markings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Gaeana cheni
photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Black/Brown forewings with chartreuse/yellow spots. Black and mint-green hind wings.
Distinguishing features: Gaeana festiva come in an amazing variety of color variations. Colors include orange, yellow, white and pale green; fore and hind wings are often different colors as well. G. festiva, as Michel Boulard speculates, might be a periodical cicada, as it emerges in very large numbers 2. They might he proto-periodical as well.
Distinguishing features: Black and yellow wings & body.
Habitat: India3, Bhutan
Becquartina electa
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Dark brown forewings with striking yellow lines forming a triangle-like shape. Dark brown and yellow hind wings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Becquartina versicolor
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Dark brown forewings with red veins and striking yellow lines, sort of in the shape of the number 7. Black hind wings with white markings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Note: there are
References:
Sanborn, Allen F., Phillips, Polly K. and Sites, Robert W. The Cicadas of Thailand (Hemiptera: Cicadidae). p 1.
Boulard, Michel. 2007. The Cicadas of Thailand, General and Particular Characteristics, Volume 1. p 66,72, Plate 30.
