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Cicadas - subfamily Tibicininae

This page contains pictures and information about Cicadas in subfamily Tibicininae that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia. 
 
This subfamily includes mostly small to medium size cicada species.  
  

 
Bladder Cicada
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Cystosoma saundersii, tribe Chlorocystini, male, body Length 50mm
We frist found this Bladder Cicada in the front yard of our friend in Nambour, about 100km north from Brisbane. We heard a very loud noise when we arrived our friend's house in a summer late evening. At first I thought there was the problem of my car engine. Then we found that the noise was coming from a tree next to our car. Carefully inspection, we saw this Bladder Cicada resting among leaves. We brought it home and put in on tree in our backyard. We can hear this loud noise for a few days. Unlike other cicadas which always calling during the day, Bladder Cicada only calling for a short while after dark in the evening. We have recorded its sound and some other details, please visit this page.
 
 
Small Bottle Cicada
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Chlorocysta vitripennis, (Chlorocysta congrua), tribe Chlorocystini, body length 20mm
This cicada is green in colour. Its abdomen is relative large. Wings are clear with green veins. It is not difficult to found them singing in our backyard during summer. When they sing, they only sing for about 4 seconds, and then stop for tens of seconds. More information on the Small Bottle Cicadas page.
 
 
Wattle Cicada, Thin-striped Wattle Cicada
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Cicadetta oldfieldi, tribe Cicadettini, body length 20mm
We found a few times those cicadas rest on the Hibiscus  in our back yard during early summer. As their name implies, the cicada also found on Wattle (Acacia) tree. Their body is green in colour with brown marking on thorax. Their compound eyes and three simple eyes are reddish-brown, which are outstanding from their green head. Their wings are clear with thin black veins. Fore more pictures and information please click on here.
 
 
Bark Squeaker
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Pauropsalta corticinus, tribe Cicadettini, body length 25mm
We took the above photos on mid summer in a Eucalyptus forest near Mt-Cotton. The cicada was at rest on a young Acacia tree. The cicada was quite camera friendly, it let me take a few photos very closely before it flew away. Check this page for more information. 
 
 
Small Bark Squeaker 
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Pauropsalta fuscata, tribe Cicadettini, body length 20mm 
We found this small cicada resting on young gum tree stem in Karawatha Forest on a cloudy summer day. It did not fly away even we tried to catch it. Female laying eggs on stem. Please visit this page for more pictures and information.
 
 
Black Tree-ticker
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Birrima varians, tribe Cicadettini, body length 30mm
This cicada is common in Brisbane bushland and eucalypts forests. They are active flyers. Flight is fast and erratic, often changing direction. Most other cicadas sing when rest. This cicada sings during flight. Their song is a repeated series of "quack quack ........." phrases. Females usually rest on smooth bark gum trees. Check this page for more information.
 
 
Floury Baker
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Aleeta curvicosta (Abricta curvicosta), tribe Taphurini, body length 35mm
The Floury Baker Cicada is dark brown in colour with lighter brown centre line on thorax. Its abdomen is rather 'floury' look so has its common name. Wings are clean, with two spots near the tip on each forewing. They are common in Brisbane. Their song start with zeep-zeep-zeep phrases, about one zeep per second when start, then faster and faster until become a long zeep sound. They like to sit on tree trunk and face downwards. We recorded its song. For more details please visit our Floury Baker page.
 
 

Reference:
1. Insects of Australia, CSIRO, Division of Entomology, Melbourne University Press, 2nd Edition 1991, pp 464.

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Last updated: September 01, 2009.