The cicadas are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera. They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two families, the Tettigarctidae, with two species in Australia, and the Cicadidae, with more than 3,000 species described from around the world; many species remain undescribed. Nearly all of cicada species are annual cicadas with the exception of the few North American periodical cicada species, genus Magicicada, which in a given region emerge en masse every 13 or 17 years.
Kālidāsa was a Classical Sanskrit author who is often considered ancient India's greatest poet and playwright. His plays and poetry are primarily based on Hindu Puranas and philosophy. His surviving works consist of three plays, two epic poems and two shorter poems.
The term periodical cicada is commonly used to refer to any of the seven species of the genus Magicicada of eastern North America, the 13- and 17-year cicadas. They are called periodical because nearly all individuals in a local population are developmentally synchronized and emerge in the same year. Although they are sometimes called "locusts", this is a misnomer, as cicadas belong to the taxonomic order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha, while locusts are grasshoppers belonging to the order Orthoptera. Magicicada belongs to the cicada tribe Lamotialnini, a group of genera with representatives in Australia, Africa, and Asia, as well as the Americas.
Cicadidae, the true cicadas, is one of two families of cicadas, containing almost all living cicada species with more than 3,200 species worldwide.
Cicadas of the genus Neotibicen are large-bodied insects of the family Cicadidae that appear in summer or early fall in eastern North America and formerly Bermuda. Common names include cicada, harvestfly, jar fly, and the misnomer locust.
Rhinophis is a genus of nonvenomous shield-tail snakes found in Sri Lanka and South India. Currently, 24 species are recognized in this genus. Of the 24 species, 18 are endemic to Sri Lanka, while six are endemic to South India.
Tosenini is a tribe of cicadas in the family Cicadidae. There are at least 10 described species in Tosenini, found in the Palearctic and Indomalaya.
Magicicada cassini, known as the 17-year cicada, Cassin's periodical cicada or the dwarf periodical cicada, is a species of periodical cicada. It is endemic to North America. It has a 17-year life cycle but is otherwise indistinguishable from the 13-year periodical cicada Magicicada tredecassini. The two species are usually discussed together as "cassini periodical cicadas" or "cassini-type periodical cicadas." Unlike other periodical cicadas, cassini-type males may synchronize their courting behavior so that tens of thousands of males sing and fly in unison. The species was first reported to the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia by Margaretta Morris in 1846. In 1852, the species was formally described by J. C. Fisher and given the specific name cassini in honour of John Cassin, an American ornithologist, whose own report was included by Fisher in his publication.
Thopha saccata, the double drummer, is the largest Australian species of cicada and reputedly the loudest insect in the world. Documented by the Danish zoologist Johan Christian Fabricius in 1803, it was the first described and named cicada native to Australia. Its common name comes from the large dark red-brown sac-like pockets that the adult male has on each side of its abdomen—the "double drums"—that are used to amplify the sound it produces.
Aleeta curvicosta is a species of cicada, one of Australia's most familiar insects. Native to the continent's eastern coastline, it was described in 1834 by Ernst Friedrich Germar. The floury baker is the only described species in the genus Aleeta.
Cryptotympanini is a tribe of cicadas in the family Cicadidae. They are found in the Nearctic, Palearctic, Indomalaya, Oceania, and Afrotropics.
Kalidasa is a genus of planthoppers in the tribe Aphaenini of the family Fulgoridae. There are four species in the genus, which are found in different parts of tropical Asia.
Tibicen is a historical genus name in the insect family Cicadidae that was originally published by P. A. Latreille in 1825 and formally made available in a translation by A. A. Berthold in 1827. The name was placed on the Official Index of Rejected and Invalid Generic Names in Zoology by the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature in 2021. Certain European cicada species that were included by some authors in this genus at the time of its suppression are now listed under genus Lyristes Horváth, 1926. Other formerly-Tibicen species are placed in the tribe Cryptotympanini and include the genera Auritibicen Lee, 2015, Hadoa Moulds, 2015 Megatibicen Sanborn and Heath, 2016, and Neotibicen Hill and Moulds, 2015.
Megatibicen dealbatus, commonly called the plains cicada, is a species of annual cicada. Dealbatus is Latin for "whitewashed".
Cicadmalleus is a genus of cicadas in the family Cicadidae, found in Indomalaya (Thailand). There is at least one described species in Cicadmalleus, C. micheli.
Distantada is a genus of cicadas in the family Cicadidae, found in the Mascarene Islands. There is at least one described species in Distantada, D. thomasseti.
Durangona is a genus of cicadas in the family Cicadidae and the monotypic tribe Durangonini, found in South America.
Jassopsaltria is a genus of cicadas in the family Cicadidae, found in Australia. There is at least one described species in Jassopsaltria, J. rufifacies.
Lahugada is a genus of cicadas in the family Cicadidae, found in India. There is at least one described species in Lahugada, L. dohertyi.
Thophini is a tribe of cicadas in the family Cicadidae, found in Australia. There are at least two genera and about nine described species in Thophini.
