Category: Yezoterpnosia

Photo: Auritibicen japonicus by Osamu Hikino.

Cicada season in Japan, like North America, seems to be best from June to September, peaking in August. Different cicada species emerge at different times of the year, but the majority of them are active during the summer.

The best website for the cicadas of Japan that I’ve come across is Cicadae in Japan which is run by Y. Saisho who co-wrote the amazing The Cicadidae of Japan book & CD.

I don’t have too many photos of cicadas from Japan on this site, but here are some of the more well known (Genus names may have changed recently):

Auritibicen flammatus (formerly Tibicen flammatus, Lyristes flammatus)

Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Auritibicen japonicus (formerly Tibicen japonicus, Lyristes japonicus)

Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata

Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Here’s a video from the YouTube:

Auritibicen kyushyuensis

Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Hyalessa maculaticollis

Platypleura kaempferi

Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Tanna japonensis

Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Euterpnosia chibensis

Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Yezoterpnosia nigricosta

Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Cicadas are very popular in Japan, and they find their way into pop culture (Anime, live action kids shows like Ultraman). This photo features a cicada toy when spun, makes a sound, some cicada clicker toys, a plush Oncotympana, a Seminingen (bad guy from Ultraman), and Yotsuba a green-haired girl who has caught a cicada (Lyristes japonicus perhaps):

Cicada News & Photos

The best place, I’ve found, to keep track of which cicadas are out in Japan is Twitter. You can search Twitter yourself for セミ and you’ll find many results — most Tweets are references to pop culture, but occasional photos and actual information about actual cicadas.

These are many of the Twitter feeds I follow. You don’t need to belong to Twitter to view their feeds, but it’s more fun if you join.

• ?? ?? ?????? SAISHO, Y. – the person who wrote the book on cicadas from Japan.
• Y.Kohei @YKohei3
• ????? @Cicada_Kaneko
• @cicadamania which is the twitter feed for this site

Bonus:

Here’s a video of a Yezoterpnosia nigricosta taken by Elias Bonaros: