Cicada Mania

Dedicated to cicadas, the most amazing insects in the world.

March 11, 2019

Platypleura capitata (Olivier, 1790)

Filed under: India | Olivier | Platypleura | Platypleurini | Raghu Ananth | Sri Lanka — Dan @ 1:01 am

Platypleura capitata is a cicada found in Sri Lanka and India.

Photos by Raghu Ananth, taken near Mysore, India:
Platypleura capitata  by Raghu Ananth, taken near Mysore, India:

Platypleura capitata  by Raghu Ananth, taken near Mysore, India:

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Platypleurini
Genus: Platypleura
Species: Platypleura capitata (Olivier, 1790)

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

January 23, 2019

Terpnosia stipata (Walker, 1950)

Filed under: Asia (Continent) | Oriental Cicadidae | Psithyristriini | Sri Lanka | Terpnosia — Tags: — Dan @ 1:01 am

Terpnosia stipata (Walker, 1950) is a cicada found in Sri Lanka.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Psithyristriini
SubTribe: Psithyristriina
Genus: Terpnosia
Species: Terpnosia stipata (Walker, 1950)

Terpnosia stipata (Walker, 1950)

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

[Male] Body above greenish-ochraceous; head with the margins of front and apical angles of vertex fuscous; the area of the ocelli, an oblique fascia on each side, and a small spot at inner margins of eyes, black. Pronotum with two central fasciae united posteriorly, the fissures, a spot on lateral margins, extreme edge of posterior margin and a spot on each side of same, black. (The discal coloration of the pronotum in the specimen described is l)ro\vnish-ochraceous.) Mesonotum with a central linear fascia with a shorter one on each side, followed by a small obconical spot and a sinuated sublateral fascia, black; two small spots in front of the cruciform elevation and the angles of same black. Abdomen with the posterior segmental margins, a broad central dorsal fascia, and a macular lateral fascia, very dark fuscous; extreme apex greyish -white. Bodj’ beneath and legs pale greenish; the abdomen beneath talc-like and semi-transparent; a few sternal spots, the anterior femoral spines, and the tarsi, more or less fuscous.

Tegmina and wings pale hyaline, the venation fuscous or ochraceous; tegmina with the costal membrane ochraceous; the transverse veins at the bases of the second, third and fifth apical areas infuscated, and a marginal series of small fuscous spots situate on the longitudinal veins to apical areas.

Face globose, centrally sulcated except at base, where there is a slight callosity; lateral striations profound; rostrum slightly passing the posterior coxae.

Long. excl. tegm. [male], 3:3 millim.; [female], 22 millim. Exp. tegm. [male] , 80 millim.; [female] , 70 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. 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

December 7, 2018

Terpnosia psecas (Walker, 1850)

Terpnosia psecas (Walker, 1850) is a cicada found in India, Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Java (Indonesia).

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Psithyristriini
SubTribe: Psithyristriina [Psithyr means “whispering” in Greek]
Genus: Terpnosia
Species: Terpnosia psecas (Walker, 1850)

Terpnosia psecas (Walker, 1850)

Terpnosia genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head about as long as breadth between eyes, deflected anteriorly, front not prominent; pronotum distinctly shorter than mesonotum, its lateral margins sinuate, with the posterior angles moderately lobalety produced; abdomen in male longer than space between apex of head and base of cruciform elevation; tympanal coverings both narrower and shorter than tympanal cavities; opercula in male short and transverse, usually not or scarcely extending beyond base of abdomen; anterior femora spined beneath; tegmina and wings hyaline, the first usually more or less maculate, with eight apical areas, and the basal cell longer than broad; wings with six apical areas.

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).

November 29, 2018

Meimuna gamameda (Distant, 1902)

Filed under: Asia (Continent) | Dundubiini | Genera Insectorum | Meimuna | Sri Lanka | W. L. Distant — Tags: — Dan @ 1:01 am

Meimuna gamameda (Distant, 1902) is a cicada found in Sri Lanka.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Dundubiini
SubTribe: Cosmopsaltriaria
Genus: Meimuna
Species: Meimuna gamameda (Distant, 1902)

Meimuna genus description by W. L. Distant in Genera Insectorum, 1913:

Characters. — Head (including eyes) about as broad as base of mesonotum, shorter than breadth between eyes, lateral margins obliquely continuous to face or very slightly sinuate; pronotum distinctly shorter than mesonotum, its lateral margins distinctly and generally acutely toothed before middle; abdomen considerably longer than space between apex of head and base of cruciform elevation; tympana covered, tympanal flaps about as long as broad; rostrum reaching the posterior coxae; opercula obliquely divergent, sometimes very short; tegmina and wings hyaline.

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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