Category: Genera

Genera of cicadas.

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Australia Genera Insectorum Thopha Thophini W. L. Distant

Thopha sessiliba Distant, 1892

Thopha sessiliba Distant, 1892 is found in northern Austalia and is commonly known as the Northern Double Drummer. Like other members of the Thophini tribe, T. sessiliba has prominent sack-like tymbal covers, from which they get their common name “drummers”.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Thophini
Genus: Thopha
Species: Thopha sessiliba Distant, 1892

Thopha sessiliba Distant, 1892

Thopha genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head short, broad, equal in width to apex of pronotum; eyes more or less pedunculated, prominent; ocelli four times more distant from eyes than from each other; apex of clavus acuminate; front destitute of a longitudinal sulcus; pronotum with the lateral margins almost truncate or slightly convex, widened forwardly; tegmina vitreous, basal area not twice longer than broad, interior ulnar area broadened towards apex; ulnar veins distant at base; wings vitreous, with six apical areas; opercula short, transverse; tympanal coverings very strongly developed and sac-like, projecting beyond the lateral abdominal margins in male.

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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Australia Cyclochila Cyclochilini Edward Donovan Genera Insectorum W. L. Distant

Cyclochila australasiae (Donovan, 1805)

Cyclochila australasiae (Donovan, 1805) is found in Australia and is remarkable for its variety of color morph, including green (Green Grocers), yellow (Yellow Mondays), blue (Blue Moons), and orange (Masked Devils).

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cyclochilini
Genus: Cyclochila
Species: Cyclochila australasiae (Donovan, 1805)

A Green Grocer:
C. australasiae (Donovan, 1805)

Cyclochila australasiae
Green Grocer Photo by Kevin Lee.

A Green Grocer Specimen:
Green Grocer specimen

Cyclochila australasiae, Blue Moon, by David Emery
Rare Blue Moon variety. Photo by David Emery.

Cyclochila genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head about long as breadth between eyes, including eyes distinctly narrower than pronotum but almost as wide as its anterior margin, ocelli close together near middle of vertex, very much more remote from eyes than from each other; face longer than broad, moderately globose; pronotum about as long as mesonotum including the cruciform elevation, its lateral. margins moderately convexly ampliated ; abdomen about as long as space between apex of head and base of cruciform elevation, beneath moderately convex ; opercula short, not passing base of abdomen ; tegmina about or nearly three times longer than broad, basal cell scarcely longer than broad, apical areas eight; wings more than half the length of tegmina, apical areas six.

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).
Categories
Genera Insectorum Platypleurini South Africa Tugelana W. L. Distant

Tugelana butleri Distant, 1912

Tugelana butleri Distant, 1912, is found in South Africa.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Platypleurini
Genus: Tugelana
Species: Tugelana butleri Distant, 1912

Tugelana genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head short and broad, including eyes about as broad as base of mesonotum, between eyes three times as broad as long, ocelli farther apart from eyes than from each other, eyes obliquely directed backward; face a little longer than broad, very broadly longitudinally sulcate. lateral areas transversely striate ; pronotum almost as long as mesonotum, the lateral margins roundly ampliate, twice as broad at base as long, the fissures profound, anterior margin truncate, posterior margin very slightly sinuate at middle; abdomen in male about as long as space between the apex of head and base of cruciform elevation; tympana partly exposed, the coverings being a little shorter and considerably narrower inwardly; rostrum reaching the posterior cocÅ“; opercula in male scarcely extending beyond base of abdomen, not meeting inwardly, obliquely transverse, laterally and apically rounded; anterior femora incrassated, with two short but broad teeth at apex; tegmina more than twice as long as broad, opaque, basal cell slightly longer than broad, ulnar areas moderately elongate, apical areas eight, the uppermost long’and narrow; wings a little more than half the length of tegmina, apical areas six. This is one of the few Ethiopian genera belonging to the subfamily Gseaninas, and may be placed near the genus Hamza; like that genus, apart from the tympanal structural characters, it has a superficial resemblance to the genus Platypleura.

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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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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Burma Gaeanini Genera Insectorum Talainga Vietnam W. L. Distant

Talainga binghami Distant, 1890

Talainga binghami Distant, 1890, is found in Burma, Vietnam, and south-east Asia, in general.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Gaeanini
SubTribe: Talaingina
Genus: Talainga
Species: Talainga binghami Distant, 1890

Tailanga binghami

Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Talainga binghami Distant, 1890

Talainga genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head (including eyes) a little narrower than base of mesonotum, about as long as breadth between eyes, front globose and prominent, shorter than vertex; pronotum about as long as mesonotum, its lateral margins a little convex, angularly incised before ‘posterior angles which are ampliated; abdomen somewhat cylindrical, longer than space between apex of head and base of cruciform elevation; tympanal coverings small and lateral; anterior femora robustly spined beneath; tegmina talc-like, semi-opaque, the apical half with the venation reticulate and forming a mass of small cellular areas, sometimes the ulnar areas are crossed by transverse veins, basal cell about twice as long- as broad; wings with the posterior margin deeply sinuate near the abdominal area; apical areas six, sometimes broken up by transverse veins into a more numerous and reticulate series.

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).
  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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Bolivia Carl Stal Cicadatrini Colombia Ecuador Genera Insectorum Pachypsaltria Venezuela W. L. Distant

Pachypsaltria cinctomaculata (Stål, 1854)

Pachypsaltria cinctomaculata (Stål, 1854) is found in Columbia, Bolivia, Ecuador, and Venuezela.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cicadatrini
Genus: Pachypsaltria
Species: Pachypsaltria cinctomaculata (Stål, 1854)

Pachypsaltria cinctomaculata (Stål, 1854)

Pachypsaltria genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head including eyes a little more than half the width of base of mesonotum, the front subconically produced, about as long as vertex, head obliquely depressed, eyes oblique, slightly passing the anterior pronotal angles; face moderately globose, not longitudinally sulcate; rostrum passing the posterior coxas; pronotum shorter than mesonotum, its posterior margin nearly twice as broad as anterior margin, the lateral margins dentately sinuate; mesonotum shorter than head and pronotum together, convex; abdomen short, about as long as head and pronotum together; tympanal orifices inwardly exposed; opercula short, broad, scarcely extending beyond base of abdomen: body pilose, marginally longly so; anterior femora not spined beneath; tegmina more than twice longer than broad, apical areas eight; wings with six apical areas.

Pachy (Greek) means thick, and psalt comes from “psalter” (Greek), which means harp player. Pachypsaltria = thick harp player.

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).
Categories
Balinta Gaeanini Genera Insectorum W. L. Distant

Balinta auriginea Distant, 1905

Balinta auriginea Distant, 1905, is found in south-east Asia. Thailand, maybe — the Genera Insectorum says “Mis. du Ht. Song-Chai.”

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Gaeanini
SubTribe: Gaeanina
Species: Balinta
Species: Balinta auriginea Distant, 1905

Balinta auriginea Distant, 1905

Balinta genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head (including eyes) about as wide as base of mesonotum and as long as pronotum, obliquely depressed in front of eyes; pronotum about as long as mesonotum, its lateral margins sinuate, the posterior angles moderately dilated; abdomen in male much longer than space between apex of head and base of cruciform elevation ; tympanal coverings both shorter and narrower than the tympanal orifices, which are most exposed inwardly; opercula in male small and transverse, widely separated, and not extending beyond base of abdomen; rostrum reaching posterior coxae ; anterior femora strongly spined beneath; tegmina and wings opaque; tegmina with their greatest breadth about one third their length and with eight 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).
Categories
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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Formotosena Genera Insectorum Polyneurini Taiwan

Formotosena seebohmi (Distant, 1904)

Formotosena seebohmi (Distant, 1904) was formerly Tosena seebohmi. Its genus changed from Tosena Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843 to Formotosena Kato, 1925. Yes, its name name has changed since 1913! It is found in the Republic of China (Taiwan).

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Polyneurini
SubTribe: Formotosenina
Genus: Formotosena
Species: Formotosena seebohmi (Distant, 1904)

Formotosena seebohmi (Distant, 1904)
The image might say Tosena seebohmi, but the newest name for this cicada is Formotosena seebohmi.

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).
Categories
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).