The cicadas belonging to the tribe Gaeanini (Ambragaeana sp., Gaeana sp., and Becquartina sp.)1 are among the world’s most beautiful cicadas. These cicadas have broad, multicolored wings. Their wings beat slowly rather than vibrate quickly, allowing them to flutter like butterflies. Michel Boulard calls them “Butterfly Cicadas” 2. Watch the video of a Gaeana festiva in flight:
Behold the beautiful “Butterfly Cicadas”:
Ambragaeana ambra
photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Brown forewings with white/cream colored spots. Black hind wings with white/cream colored spots/markings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Gaeana cheni
photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Black/Brown forewings with chartreuse/yellow spots. Black and mint-green hind wings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Callogaeana festiva
Orange form of Gaeana festiva
White form of Callogaeana festiva
Orange & White form of Gaeana festiva
A photo of a living C. festiva.
Distinguishing features: Gaeana festiva come in an amazing variety of color variations. Colors include orange, yellow, white and pale green; fore and hind wings are often different colors as well. G. festiva, as Michel Boulard speculates, might be a periodical cicada, as it emerges in very large numbers 2. They might he proto-periodical as well.
Habitat: India, Southeast Asia3
Gaeana hageni
A photo of a Gaeana hageni specimen.
Distinguishing features: Chartreuse-green forewings. White hind wings. No spots (unlike most Gaeana).
Habitat: Malayan Archipelago3
Gaeana maculata
Video of a Gaeana maculata:
Gaeana cheni
A photo of a living G. cheni.
Distinguishing features: Black wings and body with yellow spots. (Maculata means spotted.)
Habitat: India, China3
Gaeana sulphurea
Mating Gaeana sulphurea from Bhutan taken by Jeff Blincow
A photo of a Gaeana sulphurea specimen.
Distinguishing features: Black and yellow wings & body.
Habitat: India3, Bhutan
Becquartina electa
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Dark brown forewings with striking yellow lines forming a triangle-like shape. Dark brown and yellow hind wings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Becquartina versicolor
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Dark brown forewings with red veins and striking yellow lines, sort of in the shape of the number 7. Black hind wings with white markings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Note: there are
References:
- Sanborn, Allen F., Phillips, Polly K. and Sites, Robert W. The Cicadas of Thailand (Hemiptera: Cicadidae). p 1.
- Boulard, Michel. 2007. The Cicadas of Thailand, General and Particular Characteristics, Volume 1. p 66,72, Plate 30.
- Distant, W.L. 1892. A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae. The Order of the Trustees of the Indian Museum of Calcutta. p 104-108.
Category: Gaeana
Gaeana cheni Chou & Yao, 1985
Gaeana cheni is a cicada found in China, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Photo by Michel Chantraine:
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Gaeanini
SubTribe: Gaeanina
Genus: Gaeana
Species: Gaeana cheni Chou & Yao, 1985
A nice comparison of Gaeana & Callogaeana:
Gaeana atkinsoni Distant, 1892
Gaeana atkinsoni is a cicada found in China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam, and likely adjacent nations.
Photos by Raghu Ananth.
Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Gaeanini
SubTribe: Gaeanina
Genus: Gaeana
Species: Gaeana atkinsoni Distant, 1892
For more information about this cicada, visit Cicadas of India.
Gaeana atkinsoni from the Uttara Kannada district in India
Here’s a cicada I never thought I would see, but thanks to Raghu Ananth, here are two photos of a
Tosena sibylaGaeana atkinsoni.This photo was taken on May 2nd, 2009:
Note the characteristic double stripes on the forewings. Note how the smaller stripe doesn’t make it all the way to the claval fold.
Here are observations about this cicada provided by Raghu Ananth:
This illustration of a
T. sibyllaGaeana atkinsoni comes from the document A monograph of oriental cicadidae (1892) by W. L. Distant.Updated (5/8/2014) with a video by Harinath Ravichandran:
A visual comparison of some cicadas of Southeast Asia
This is a photo of one of my displays at home. Some of the specimens aren’t in the best shape, but it is good enough to distinguish the species.
Angamiana floridula, Becquartina electa, Gaeana cheni, Gaeana festiva, Platypleura mira, Tacua speciosa, Tosena albata, Tosena melanoptera, Tosena paviei, and Trengganua sibylla are featured in the image.
The “Butterfly Cicadas”
The cicadas belonging to the tribe Gaeanini (Ambragaeana sp., Gaeana sp., and Becquartina sp.)1 are among the world’s most beautiful cicadas. These cicadas have broad, multicolored wings. Their wings beat slowly rather than vibrate quickly, allowing them to flutter like butterflies. Michel Boulard calls them “Butterfly Cicadas” 2. Watch the video of a Gaeana festiva in flight:
Behold the beautiful “Butterfly Cicadas”:
Ambragaeana ambra
photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Brown forewings with white/cream colored spots. Black hind wings with white/cream colored spots/markings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Gaeana cheni
photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Black/Brown forewings with chartreuse/yellow spots. Black and mint-green hind wings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Callogaeana festiva
Orange form of Gaeana festiva
White form of Callogaeana festiva
Orange & White form of Gaeana festiva
A photo of a living C. festiva.
Distinguishing features: Gaeana festiva come in an amazing variety of color variations. Colors include orange, yellow, white and pale green; fore and hind wings are often different colors as well. G. festiva, as Michel Boulard speculates, might be a periodical cicada, as it emerges in very large numbers 2. They might he proto-periodical as well.
Habitat: India, Southeast Asia3
Gaeana hageni
A photo of a Gaeana hageni specimen.
Distinguishing features: Chartreuse-green forewings. White hind wings. No spots (unlike most Gaeana).
Habitat: Malayan Archipelago3
Gaeana maculata
Video of a Gaeana maculata:
Gaeana cheni
A photo of a living G. cheni.
Distinguishing features: Black wings and body with yellow spots. (Maculata means spotted.)
Habitat: India, China3
Gaeana sulphurea
A photo of a Gaeana sulphurea specimen.
Distinguishing features: Black and yellow wings & body.
Habitat: India3, Bhutan
Becquartina electa
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Dark brown forewings with striking yellow lines forming a triangle-like shape. Dark brown and yellow hind wings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Becquartina versicolor
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Dark brown forewings with red veins and striking yellow lines, sort of in the shape of the number 7. Black hind wings with white markings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Note: there are
References: