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Male Lesser Bottle Cicada
Photograph copyright: ozwildlife - all rights reserved. Used with permission.
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Female Bottle Cicada - probably Chlorocysta vitripennis
Photograph copyright: ozwildlife - all rights reserved. Used with permission.
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Female Bottle Cicada - probably Chlorocysta vitripennis
Photograph copyright: ozwildlife - all rights reserved. Used with permission.
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INSECT FACTS |
Identification
The Lesser Bottle Cicada is green with transparent wings with green veins. Males have large hollow abdomen. Females are smaller with tapered abdomen. The males have a sound producing organ that makes a loud resonating call on summer nights
Size
25mm
Habitat
edges of rainforest, eucalypt forest, suburban gardens with suitable plants
Food
adults feed on tree sap, larvae feed on root sap
Breeding
Females lay their eggs on tree branches by cutting slits in branches with their ovipositor and laying the eggs inside. The larvae fall to the ground when they hatch and burrow into the soil, where they live underground feeding on root sap for several years. They emerge in summer and climb up a tree where they moult into winged adults. The empty shells are left on tree trunks, plant stems or fence posts.
Range
from Bundaberg in Queensland to Taree in New South Wales
Classification
| Class: | Insecta | | Order: | Hemiptera | | Family: | Cicadidae | | Genus: | Chlorocysta | | Species: | vitripennis | | Common Name: | Lesser Bottle Cicada |
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