Holymna cicada
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{{Collection-Bugs | {{Collection-Bugs | ||
| - | | | + | |image=Holymna Cicada.png |
| - | | | + | |name=Holymna Cicada |
| - | |habitat= | + | |habitat=Temperate forests and grasslands. |
| - | |description= | + | |description=To call the cicada 'bug-eyed' seems redundant, but one of this insect's most distinctive features are overlarge protruding eyes, situated at the side of its head for credible rearward vision. Its body is thick and tapered toward the posterior, with a head as wide as the thickest part of the body. Thin transparent wings extending past the posterior refract light, often creating the entire spectrum of colors in direct sunlight. Its episodes of flight tend to be short journeys, often merely enough to escape danger for only a moment. |
| - | |notes= | + | The coloration of the insect can vary, even within a single specimen, but a freshly molted specimen is generally a darker green which becomes more opaque as the next shedding appraoches. |
| + | |notes=Most often, an observer will hear the cicada long before seeing one. Their distinctive and loud "ReeerEEEEErrrEEEEE!" vocalizations can last for hours, repeating the cycle many times in that timespan. It is speculated that this sound is produced in much the same way that crickets an other species do, by rubbing the back legs along the ridge of a wing. | ||
| + | They have many natural predators, including birds, reptiles, other insects, but most especially the [[Cicada hawk wasp|Cicada Hawk Wasp]]. The cicadas possess practically no defense mechanisms beyond flight, and their song seems to serve as an attractant to predators. The only other observable defense mechanism is the silencing of the song as danger or movement approaches, perhaps as an alert to other cicadas, which will continue to sing further away. Whether this continuation is to draw predators away from the endangered cicada is unknown. | ||
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| + | Although sometimes popularly referred to as 'locusts', the cicada is an unrelated specie to the grasshopper family. Colloquially, their molted skins, which are thin but strong, remain intact and attached to the tree bark in a very natural-looking position, albeit wingless, and are referred to as 'locust shells'. Despite the inaccuracy, this nickname persists. | ||
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| + | {{stub}} | ||
| + | Back to the [[Insect/Arachnid]] page. | ||
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Although sometimes popularly referred to as 'locusts', the cicada is an unrelated specie to the grasshopper family. Colloquially, their molted skins, which are thin but strong, remain intact and attached to the tree bark in a very natural-looking position, albeit wingless, and are referred to as 'locust shells'. Despite the inaccuracy, this nickname persists.
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