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Masked Devil cicada

Cyclochila australasiae

Description:

This beautiful orange coloured cicada had a black band between its red eyes. The thorax also had black markings. Wing veins were an orange colour.

Habitat:

Spotted in a local garden.

Notes:

This cicada is a orange/yellow form of the green grocer (Green coloured cicada) or the Blue Moon as seen here
http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/435...
http://www.ozanimals.com/Insect/Green-Gr...
Family: Cicadidae

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7 Comments

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 8 years ago

All I know is that the species is native to eastern part of Australia. Last year we saw numerous green ones but this year there are more of these masked devils (in our area anyway). I believe its a gene switch that gets turned off or on for the different colours - so, I assume the colour is determined before they emerge. I must do more research myself !

Wesley Oosthuizen
Wesley Oosthuizen 8 years ago

Yes the green ones are what I am familiar with. In Taiwan we have them singing from the tree tops every summer...in LARGE numbers. I am curious if this variety is endemic to your area. Guess it's time for me to start doing some research now ;)

Leuba Ridgway
Leuba Ridgway 8 years ago

Thank you Wesley. This one was fresh - you can see the wing tips still unfurling. I've seen many of the green forms but never this one until this Spring.

Wesley Oosthuizen
Wesley Oosthuizen 8 years ago

Wow! Never seen one like this before. Great spotting!

SukanyaDatta
SukanyaDatta 8 years ago

Zorro cicada :)

beautiful

armadeus.4
armadeus.4 8 years ago

Awesome!

Leuba Ridgway
Spotted by
Leuba Ridgway

Victoria, Australia

Spotted on Oct 11, 2015
Submitted on Oct 11, 2015

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