Dedicated to cicadas, the most amazing insects in the world.
Trengganua sibylla (Stål, 1863) is a cicada found in south-east Asia, specifically peninsular Malaysia and Thailand.
When found in the wild & alive its wings are green and black, but the green turns yellow after death.
Here’s a video of a living T. sibylla.
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
SubFamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Tosenini
Genus: Trengganua
Species: Trengganua sibylla (Stål, 1863)
Tosena albata is a cicada found in Burma, India, Nepal, Thailand, and Vietnam. In the past, this cicada was known as Tosena melanoptera.
Photo by Michel Chantraine:
Description:
Tegmina with five longitudinal greyish fasciae, one occupying radial area, and the others divided by ulnar veins, two of which amalgamate with the transverse fascia, and five irregular greyish fasciae situate in the apical areas. Wings with nine greyish ray-like fasciae situate on outer margin, the one at anal area largest; two-thirds of the outer margin narrowly edged with greyish. Apices of the femora not ochraceous.
Long. excl. tegm. Male 58 to 62 millim.; Female 48 millim. Exp. tegm. Male, 140 to 155 millim. Female, 130 millim.
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
SubFamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Tosenini
Genus: Tosena
Species: Tosena albata Distant, 1878
For more information about this cicada, visit Cicadas of India.
Tosena paviei is a cicada found in Burma, Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Female T. paviei. Photo by Dan Mozgai:
Male T. paviei. Photo by Michel Chantraine:
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
SubFamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Tosenini
Genus: Tosena
Species: Tosena paviei (Noualhier, 1896)
Ayuthia spectabile is a cicada found in Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Female Ayuthia spectabile:
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
SubFamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Tosenini
Genus: Ayuthia
Species: Ayuthia spectabile Distant, 1919
Tosena depicta Distant, 1888 is a cicada found on Borneo (Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia), and possbily other islands of the Malay archipelago.
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
SubFamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Tosenini
Genus: Tosena
Species: Tosena depicta Distant, 1888
Species specimen description from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadas by W.L. Distant:
Head and thorax above black; head with a spot at apex of front and a spot at each anterior angle of vertex, two central spots on anterior margin of pronotum, the posterior margin of pronotum, four spots in transverse series on mesonotum, and the posterior margin of mesonotum ochraceous ; the centre of basal cruciform elevation black. Abdomen above reddish ochraceous, with a central, longitudinal, narrow, dorsal, fuscous fascia. Head beneath, sternum, a lateral fascia to opercula, and legs black; a spot at base and one on each side of base of face ; coxas, apices of femora and tibia, tarsi (excluding base) and rostrum (excluding apex) ochraceous. Body beneath ochraceous, the basal segment blackish.
Tegmma dark olivaceous, the costal membrane and the venation reddish ochraceous, and with a transverse and slightly oblique greyish-white fascia near centre, not extending above the base of the second ulnar area; posterior basal margin narrowly reddish ochraceous. Wings black, the basal area reddish ochraceous, with its posterior margin black.
The rostrum reaches the apex of the basal abdominal segment, and the tegmina have their apices considerably attenuated.
Long. excl. tegm. 36 millim. Exp. tegm. 90 millim.
Today I took a fresh look at the 3301 Cicada image. In the past I thought it was a composition of multiple cicadas — and it still might be — but I now think it’s primarily a Distantalna splendida formerly Tosena splendida, a cicada found in southern Asia (China, India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, etc.). Distortions caused by embossing — or whatever filters they used — makes identifying the cicada difficult.
Here’s my comparison of the wings.
I will probably do a comparison of the body and head at some point.
Here’s a photo of this Splendid cicada:
Specimens vary in appearance (size, wing patterns) from individual to individual — they all look similar, but they’re not exact matches. The process of spreading a specimen’s wings and preserving it can also alter its appearance, and introduce unnatural changes to the insect’s morphology.
Distantalna splendida are easy to find on eBay or taxidermy shops if you’re interested, although they’re often mislabeled using their former name Tosena splendida, or something totally different.
Bonus:
Here’s an illustration from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadas by W. L. Distant. 1889-1892. Read it on the Biodiversity Heritage Library website:
Tosena is a genus of cicadas that can be found in the Indo-Malaya ecozone, which includes the Indian subcontinent, Southeastern Asia and southern China. Tosena cicadas have colorful wings, which rival the beauty of butterfly wings. Tosena are easily obtainable online from stores that sell insects, or ebay. The Tosena genus was first identified by Charles Jean-Baptiste Amyot & Jean Guillaume Audinet-Serville in 1843.
From A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant:
Tosena is one of the most conspicuous genera of the Cicadidae, and its species are all included in this fauna. The north-eastern districts of Continental India are its head-quarters, for here are focused some of the largest and handsomest of its species ; it is also well represented in Burma, and from thence its distribution is extended throughout the Malay Peninsula to the south, and apparently northward as far as some portions of China. In the Malayan Archipelago it is not uncommon in Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, and as I have seen representatives from Amboyna, it probably exists in other intervening islands, of which, however, we have at present no precise information.
Different types of Tosena:
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Mustard colored pronotal collar, orange abdomen with a series of two black circular spots, and dark brown wings with one white stripe on each fore wing.
Habitat: Southeast Asia.
Illustration from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant.
Distinguishing features: A vibrant green pronotal collar; an orange abdomen with a series of black markings; wings are dark brown to black, with the one white stripe on each fore wing, and a white anal lobe on each hind wing.
Phantastic songs of the S.E. Asian cicadas! website has an MP3 of a T. depicta singing.
Habitat: Southeast Asia.
No photos (on this site), but I’ve seen them on the Cicadas of India Facebook page.
Distinguishing features: Brown wings, with one white stripe on each fore wing, and the hind wings are half orange.
Habitat: India.
Tosena fasciata by Álvaro Lisón Gómez Creative Commons License.
Distinguishing features: A pale orange pronotal collar; brown wings with one white stripe on each fore wing; an orange abdomen with one black spot; the the anal lobe of the hind wing appears lighter in color than the rest of the hind wing.
Habitat: Southeast Asia.
No photos.
Distinguishing features: See A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant
Habitat: India.
Photos of a live T. melanoptera.
Distinguishing features: Red eyes; white pronotal collar; pale brown stripe on dark brown fore wings.
Habitat: India & Southeast Asia.
No photos.
Distinguishing features: See A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant
Habitat: India.
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Red “mask” between eyes. Black wings, with one pale-orange stripe on each fore wing, light-orange veins, and hind wings that are half orange.
Habitat: Southeast Asia.
Technically speaking, the Tosena splendida is now Distantalna splendida. It has its own genus, and if you compare it visually to the other Tosena, you can see on reason why (no wing stripe).
Illustration from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant.
Distinguishing features: See A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant
Habitat: Southeast Asia.
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Illustration from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant.
A photo of a live T. splendida.
Distinguishing features: Pale green hind wings; Fore wings feature an intricate white, dark-brown, orange and yellow pattern based on the structure of the viens of the wing; red markings on legs; yellow markings on thorax.
Habitat: India, Southeast Asia.
