Cicada > Cicada Index
— see Hemiptera | Hemiptera Index
The Cicadas are in the superfamily Cicadoidea and part of the infraorder Cicadomorpha (that include cicadas, leafhoppers, treehoppers and spittlebugs), which in turn are within the order Hemiptera (containing True Bugs, Hoppers, Aphids, and Allies).
With approximately 35,000 described species worldwide, all of them are plant-feeders, and many produce either audible sounds or substrate vibrations as a form of communication. Cicadas are the loudest insects in the world and there are more than 200 species in Australia. Cicadas often sing in chorus, makiong it more difficult for a predator to locate an individual.
Cicadas are so conspicuous that many of their common names were initially given to them by children. As a result cicadas probably have the most colourful common names in the insect world. Some of these include: Black Prince (Psaltoda plaga), Double Drummer, Floury Baker, and the Green Grocer or Yellow Monday, Cyclochila australasiae.3
- Scientific classification
- Domain: Eukaryota
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Hemiptera
- Infraorder: Cicadomorpha
- Superfamily: Cicadoidea
- Family: Cicadidae
- Genus: Many
- Family: Tettigarctidae
- Genus: Tettigarcta
Footnote & References
- Photographs Cicadas © Tony Eales
- Photographs Cicadas © Greg Sully
- Cicada – Superfamily Cicadoidea, Australian Museum, https://australian.museum/learn/animals/insects/cicadas-superfamily-cicadoidea/
CicadaCicada Index Desert Screamer (Burbunga hillieri) Double Drummer (Thopha saccata) Floury Baker (Aleeta curvicosta) Masked Devil (Cyclochila australasiae) Orange Drummer (Thopha colorata)
InsectsBees Beetles Blattodea Butterflies Coleoptera Cicada Crabronidae Diptera Dragonflies & Damselflies Formicidae Hemiptera Heteroptera Moths Orthoptera Orthopteroid Processionary Caterpillar Stink Bugs, Shield Bugs and Allies Wasps Water Scorpion (Laccotrephes tristis) Witchetty Grub