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New Zealand Chorus Cicada

Amphisalta zelandica

Description:

The cicada has a tapering body with a broad head and prominent compound eyes, short antennae and six small legs. Four large veined wings are longer than the body. The colouring is mainly black and green with some yellow and three red ocili between the dark compound eyes in the middle of the head.

Habitat:

New Zealand cicadas have a large range of habitats, but the Chorus cicada is mainly found in tall forest, or where forest used to be. They are quite at home in urban areas and can often be found perching on fences and lamp posts.

Notes:

A very noisy critter indeed! Our native trees, and even some of our decks and fences, are currently full of chirping and clicking cicadas. A sound synonymous with the summertime on our island. My research shows New Zealand is home to some 42 endemic species of cicada. The one pictured is the Chorus cicada, the largest, loudest and most widespread of the NZ cicadas. They have a wingspan of 80mm. The Maori call them kihikihi wawā – wawā meaning ‘to roar like the sound of heavy rain’.

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1 Comment

JillBlack
JillBlack 10 years ago

Please consider adding this spotting to the mission Biodiversity of the North Island New Zealand http://www.projectnoah.org/missions/1527...

MinetteTonoli
Spotted by
MinetteTonoli

Upper Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand

Spotted on Feb 15, 2014
Submitted on Feb 15, 2014

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