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October 7, 2018

Graptopsaltria bimaculata Kato, 1925

Filed under: China | Genera Insectorum | Graptopsaltria | Japan | Masayo Kato | Polyneurini — 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).

September 30, 2018

Polyneura ducalis Westwood, 1840

Polyneura ducalis Westwood, 1840, is found in China, Tibet, Indonesia, Burma, Nepal, India, and likely more nations in the region.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Polyneurini
SubTribe: Polyneurina
Genus: Polyneura
Species: Polyneurina ducalis Westwood, 1840

Polyneura ducalis Westwood, 1840

Polyneura genus description by W. L. Distant:

Characters. — Head including eyes about as wide as base of mesonotum, but narrower than pronotum, ocelli further apart from eyes than from each other, front obliquely depressed; pronotum longer than mesonotum, its lateral margins ampliated and medially shortly angulate; abdomen longer than space between apex of head and base of cruciform elevation; tympanal orifices completely covered; opercula short and broad; meso- and metasterna centrality sulcate; tegmina opaque with the venation dense and furcate, reticulate towards apex, all the areas numerous and ill-defined.

Photo from my collection:

Polyneura ducalis

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).

September 28, 2018

Ambragaeana stellata (Walker, 1858)

Filed under: Ambragaeana | China | Francis Walker | Gaeanini | Genera Insectorum | India | Thailand — Dan @ 6:54 pm

Once known as Gaeana stellatayes, its name has changedAmbragaeana stellata (Walker, 1858) can be found in China, Thailand, India, and likey other nations the south-eastern part of Asia. Ambragaeana cicadas belong to a group nicknamed the “butterfly cicadas” because of the butterfly-like colors and patterns of their wings.

“Stellata”, I believe, is derived from the Latin word for “star” — it doesn’t take much imagination to see the “stars” in the wings of this cicada.

Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Gaeanini
SubTribe: Gaeanina
Genus: Ambragaeana
Species: Ambragaeana stellata (Walker, 1858)

Ambragaeana stellata stellata (Walker, 1858)
The image says Gaeana stellata, but the newest name for this cicada is Ambragaeana stellata.

photo by Michel Chantraine
Photo by Michel Chantraine.

Worth noting: There are two sub-species of Ambragaeana.

References:

  1. The illustration 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 information/verification comes from Allen Sanborn’s Catalogue of the Cicadoidea (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha).

August 16, 2006

Cicada knocks man off bike

Filed under: China — Dan @ 6:02 am

From an article on the CHINAdaily news site: Cicada knocks man off bike.

Wang was riding a bicycle when he spotted two boys catching cicadas. He rang his bell, warning the boys to stay away, which scared the boys as well as a cicada on the tree. The frightened cicada flew toward Wang at high speed and knocked him off his bicycle. Physical check-ups in a hospital indicated that Wang had bruises all over his body and had three broken ribs because of the fall

Thanks to Roy Troutman for passing along the article.

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