Cicada Mania

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

March 8, 2019

Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata

Filed under: Graptopsaltria | Japan | Korea | Osamu Hikino | Polyneurini — Dan @ 1:01 am

Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata is a cicada found in Japan and Korea. There are two subspecies. It is also known as Abura-zemi.

Photo by Osamu Hikino:
Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Polyneurini
SubTribe: Polyneurina
Genus: Graptopsaltria
Species:

  • Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata badia Kato, 1925
  • Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata nigrofuscata (de Motschulsky, 1866)

For more information about this cicada, visit Cicadae in Japan.

According to iNaturalist observations this cicada is found in July and August.

Species name information comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).

March 7, 2019

Auritibicen flammatus

Filed under: Auritibicen | Cryptotympanini | Japan | Osamu Hikino — Tags: — Dan @ 1:01 am

There are five sub-species of Auritibicen flammatus. They are found in Japan and known as Aka-ezo-zemi.

Auritibicen flammatus adonis photo by Osamu Hikino.
A. flammatus

A. flammatus Osamu Hikino

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
SubTribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Auritibicen (formerly Lyristes and Tibicen)
Subspecies:

  • Auritibicen flammatus adonis Kato, 1933
  • Auritibicen flammatus concolor Kato, 1934
  • Auritibicen flammatus flammatus (Distant, 1892)
  • Auritibicen flammatus nakamurai Kato, 1940
  • Auritibicen flammatus viridiflavus Kato, 1939

For more information about Auritibicen flammatus, visit Cicadae in Japan.

Species name information comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).

February 12, 2019

Auritibicen kyushyuensis (Kato, 1926)

Filed under: Auritibicen | Cryptotympanini | Japan | Kato | Osamu Hikino — Dan @ 1:01 am

Auritibicen kyushyuensis is found in Japan and is known as Kyushu-ezo-zemi.

Auritibicen kyushyuensis photo by Osamu Hikino:
Photo by Osamu Hikino

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
SubTribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Auritibicen (formerly Lyristes and Tibicen)
Species: Auritibicen kyushyuensis (Kato, 1926)

For more information about this cicada, visit Cicadae in Japan.

February 11, 2019

Auritibicen japonicus

Filed under: Auritibicen | Cryptotympanini | Japan | Matsumura | Osamu Hikino — Dan @ 1:01 am

There are ten sub-species of Auritibicen japonicus. They are found in Japan and known as Ezo-zemi.

Photo of a male Auritibicen japonicus by Osamu Hikino.
photo by Osamu Hikino

Photo of an Auritibicen japonicus by Osamu Hikino:
Lyristes japonicus by Osamu Hikino_001

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Cryptotympanini
SubTribe: Cryptotympanina
Genus: Auritibicen (formerly Lyristes and Tibicen)
Subspecies:

  1. Auritibicen japonicus echigo Kato, 1936
  2. Auritibicen japonicus hooshianus (Matsumura, 1936)
  3. Auritibicen japonicus immaculatus Kato, 1933
  4. Auritibicen japonicus interruptus Kato, 1943
  5. Auritibicen japonicus itoi Kato, 1939
  6. Auritibicen japonicus iwaoi Kato, 1939
  7. Auritibicen japonicus japonicus (Kato, 1925)
  8. Auritibicen japonicus kobayashii Kato, 1939
  9. Auritibicen japonicus niger Kato, 1933
  10. Auritibicen japonicus nigrofasciatus Kato, 1940

For more information about this cicada, visit Cicadae in Japan.

December 5, 2018

Tanna japonensis japonensis (Distant, 1892)

Filed under: Asia (Continent) | Genera Insectorum | Japan | Leptopsaltriini | Tanna | W. L. Distant — Tags: — Dan @ 1:01 am

Tanna japonensis japonensis (Distant, 1892) is a cicada found in Japan. There is another subspecies without a subspecies name (see below).

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Leptopsaltriini
SubTribe: Leptopsaltriina (which means slender harp player in Greek)
Genus: Tanna
Subspecies: Tanna japonensis japonensis (Distant, 1892)
Subspecies: Tanna japonensis var. ______ Ishihara, 1939

Photo by Osamu Hikino
Photo by Osamu Hikino.

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

Characters. — Head (including eyes) narrower than base of mesonotum and about as long as space between eyes; lateral margins of pronotum angularly sinuate, but not prominently toothed ; abdomen much longer than space between apex of head and base of cruciform elevation; tympana covered ; opercula small, not or scarcely extending beyond base of abdomen; rostrum reaching the posterior coxae; tegmina and wings hyaline. Closely allied to Leptopsaltria, from which it differs by only having a lateral tubercle on the second and not on the third ventral segment, in other respects resembling the genus Pomponia.

According to iNaturalist observations they’re found in July and August.

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).
  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

November 27, 2018

Leptopsaltria tuberosa (Signoret, 1847)

Leptopsaltria tuberosa (Signoret, 1847) is a cicada found in India, Japan, and on Java (Indonesia), according the the Genera Insectorum, 1913. That’s quite a range.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Leptopsaltriini
SubTribe: Leptopsaltriina
Genus: Leptopsaltria
Species: Leptopsaltria tuberosa (Signoret, 1847)

Leptopsaltria tuberosa (Signoret, 1847)

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

Characters. — Head (including eyes), considerably narrower than base of mesonotum, ocelli not quite twice the distance from eyes as from each other, front somewhat conical and subprominent; pronotum with the lateral margins moderately ampliated and more or less distinctly toothed or angulated; genae internally at apex near base of lorae furnished with a tubercle or tumescence; abdomen moderately long and robust; anterior femora distinctly and robustly spined; rostrum extending beyond the posterior coxae; tympana covered; opercula short; second and third abdominal segments in the male furnished with a well-developed tubercle near each lateral margin; tegmina and wings hyaline, venation normal, tegminal apical areas eight 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).
  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

October 7, 2018

Graptopsaltria bimaculata Kato, 1925

Filed under: Asia (Continent) | China | Genera Insectorum | Graptopsaltria | Japan | Kato | Polyneurini — Tags: — Dan @ 1:01 am

Graptopsaltria bimaculata Kato, 1925. Formerly known as Graptopsaltria tienta. Yes, its species name as changed since 1913! It is found in China and Japan.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Polyneurini
SubTribe: Polyneurina
Genus: Graptopsaltria
Species: Graptopsaltria bimaculata Kato, 1925

Graptopsaltria bimaculata Kato, 1925
The image says Graptopsaltria tienta but now the cicada is known as Graptopsaltria bimaculata.

Graptopsaltria genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Body robust, attenuated posteriorly; head, including eyes, narrower than the anterior lateral margins of the pronotum; ocelli wider apart from eyes than from each other; rostrum extending to about posterior coxae; pronotum with the lateral margins irregularly convex, not prominently ampliated or laminately expanded; anterior femora robustly spined; tympana practically covered ; opercula short, broad, not extending beyond basal segment of abdomen; tegmina opaque, apical areas eight, transverse vein at the base of the second apical area much curved, interior ulnar area not distinctly widened at apex; wings opaque, 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. Species name information/verification comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).

May 12, 2018

Cicadas of Asia

Filed under: Asia (Continent) | Genera | India | Indonesia | Japan | Korea | Malaysia | Singapore | Thailand | Vietnam — Dan @ 11:26 am

Many species shown on this page are not endemic to a single country. Typically if a cicada can be found in one country in Indo-China (Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam), it will be found in many others, as well as southern China.

Ambragaeana Chou & Yau, 1985

ambragaeana ambra photo by Michel Chantraine
Ambragaeana ambra Chou & Yao, 1985. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Ambragaeana ambra is found in Indo-China and China.

Angamiana Distant, 1890

angamiana floridula photo by Michel Chantraine
Angamiana floridula Distant, 1904

Angamiana floridula is found in Indo-China and China.

Ayuthia Distant, 1919

Ayuthia spectabile Distant, 1919
Ayuthia spectabile Distant, 1919.

Ayuthia spectabile is found in Indo-China and China.

Becquartina Kato, 1940

Becquartina electa by Michel Chantraine
Becquartina electa (Jacobi, 1902) from Thailand. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Becquartina electa is found in Indo-China and China.

Becquartina versicolor Boulard, 2005
Becquartina versicolor Boulard, 2005 Thailand. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Becquartina versicolor is found primarily in Thailand, but I imagine it can be found in adjacent nations as well.

Callogaeana Chou & Yao, 1985

Callogaeana festiva festiva
Callogaeana festiva festiva (Fabricius, 1803). Formerly Gaeana festiva.

Callogaeana festiva festiva is found in Indo-China and China.

Chremistica Stål, 1870

Cicadmalleus

Cryptotympana Stål, 1861

cryptotympana aquila Photo by Michel Chantraine
Cryptotympana aquila (Walker, 1850) from Thailand. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Cryptotympana aquila has a huge range from Korea south to Indo-China, as well as, Borneo, Sumatra and Brunei.

C. arata A cicada photo from South Korea
Female Cryptotympana atrata (Fabricius, 1775) from Korea. Photo by Jon Allen.

Cryptotympana atrata has a large range from Indo-China north to Korea.

Cryptotympana mandarina. Michel chantraine.
Cryptotympana mandarina Distant, 1891. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Distantalna Boulard, 2009

Distantalna splendida formerly Tosena splendida
Distantalna splendida (Distant, 1878)

Dundubia Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843

Dundubia
Dundubia sp. Photo by Santisuk Vibul.

Dundubia spiculata
Dundubia spiculata Noualhier, 1896. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Euterpnosia Matsumura, 1917

Euterpnosia chibensis photos by Osamu Hikino. Japan.
Euterpnosia chibensis. Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Formotosena Kato, 1925

Formotosena montivaga (Distant, 1889)
Formotosena montivaga (Distant, 1889). Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Gaeana Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843

Gaeana cheni
Gaeana cheni Chou & Yao, 1985. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Hyalessa China, 1925

Hyalessa maculaticollis maculaticollis photo by Osamu Hikino. Japan.Hyalessa maculaticollis maculaticollis (de Motschulsky, 1866). Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Huechys Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843

Huechys sanguinea
Huechys sanguinea (Degeer, 1773). Photo by Michel Chantraine.

H. sanguinea can be found throughout Asia, including China, Indo-China, India & Pakistan.

Lyristes Horváth, 1926

Depending on who you ask, the Genus is Lyristes or Tibicen, so I’ll mention both. Wait — not it’s Auritibicen.

A. flammatus
Lyristes flammatus or Tibicen flammatus (Distant, 1892)

L. flammatus aka T. flammatus (there is some dispute over the name of the genus) can be found in Japan, Korea and China.

Macrosemia Kato, 1925

Macrosemia chantrainei Boulard, 2003
Macrosemia chantrainei Boulard, 2003. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Macrosemia tonkiniana (Jacobi, 1905)
Macrosemia tonkiniana (Jacobi, 1905). Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Macrosemia umbrata Cicada Found in Arunachal Pradesh, India by Raghu Ananth
Macrosemia umbrata. Photo by Raghu Ananth.

Orientopsaltria Kato, 1944

Orientopsaltria beaudouini Boulard, 2003
Orientopsaltria beaudouini Boulard, 2003. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Platylomia Stål, 1870

Platylomia radah
Platylomia radah (Distant, 1881). Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Platypleura Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843

Platypleura capitata by Raghu Ananth, taken near Mysore, India:
Platypleura capitata (Olivier, 1790). Photo by Raghu Ananth.

Pomponia Stål, 1866

Purana Distant, 1905

Salvazana Distant, 1913

Salvazana mirabilis imperialis Distant, 1918
Salvazana mirabilis imperialis Distant, 1918. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Salvazana mirabilis
Salvazana mirabilis mirabilis Distant, 1913

Sulphogaeana Chou & Yao, 1985

Mating Gaeana sulphurea from Bhutan taken by Jeff Blincow
Sulphogaeana sulphurea (Westwood, 1839).

Tacua Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843

Tacua speciosa (Illger, 1980) photos from Malaysia. The author of the image wishes to be anonymous.
Tacua speciosa (Illger, 1980). Photo by Anonymous.

Tailanga Distant, 1890

Tailanga binghami
Tailanga binghami Distant, 1890. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

T. binghami is found in China and the countries of Indo-China.

Tosena Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843

Tosena albata
Tosena albata
Distant, 1878. Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Trengganua Moulton, 1923

Blog Catagories:

Links for further research:

Southeast Asia

India

Japan

Cicada species names and locations verified using The Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha) by Allen F Sanborn.

July 9, 2017

Cicadas of Japan

Tibicen japonicus
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)

A. flammatus
Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Auritibicen japonicus (formerly Tibicen japonicus, Lyristes japonicus)

Male Auritibicen japonicus (formerly Tibicen japonicus, Lyristes japonicus)
Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata

Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata
Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Here’s a video from the YouTube:

Auritibicen kyushyuensis

Photo by Osamu Hikino
Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Hyalessa maculaticollis

Oncotympana Maculaticollis

Platypleura kaempferi

Platypleura kaempferi (Fabricius, 1794)
Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Tanna japonensis

A male Tanna japonensis
Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Euterpnosia chibensis

Euterpnosia chibensis photos by Osamu Hikino. Japan.
Photo by Osamu Hikino.

Yezoterpnosia nigricosta

Male Terpnosia nigricosta by Osamu Hikino
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 related pop culture items from Japan

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.

Bonus:

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

March 4, 2015

New Version of The Cicadidae of Japan

Filed under: Books | Japan — Dan @ 6:08 am

A new version of the Cicadidae of Japan is out. This is not a reprint. It adds new photos and the accompanying CD features new audio recordings.

The book was authored by Dr. M. Haysashi and Dr. Yasumasa Saisho (of the incredible Cicadidae of Japan website).

Cicadidae of Japan

It is available on Amazon in Japan.

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