The epithet eremica is derived from the Greek word for desert or wilderness, referring to its habitat.[1]
Appearance
Males have a body length of 12.3–13.9 mm, while females are slightly larger at 15.0–16.4 mm (including the ovipositor). The forewings are hyaline (glassy) with pale green to yellow venation.[1]
The head is primarily black with a bit of green near the eyes and on the gena. The thorax is pale yellow-green to yellowish-brown with a complex pattern of black markings on the pronotum and mesonotum. A key distinguishing feature is the male's abdomen, which is predominantly black on the dorsal (upper) side, tapering evenly from the third segment. Females have much-reduced black abdominal markings compared to males.[1]
The opercula (the plates covering the tymbals) in males are pale green to yellow, broadly rounded, and extend just beyond the tympanal cavity but do not meet. The male genitalia feature claspers that are distally fang-like and an aedeagus with short, pointed pseudoparameres.[1]
Habitat
Type specimens have been collected from short grass clumps following periods of good rainfall.[1]
Reproduction
Females respond to the male calling song by flicking their wings after each buzz. The female has a well-developed ovipositor sheath that protrudes almost 2 mm beyond the abdominal segment, which is used for laying eggs into plant tissue.[1]
Distribution
Xeropsalta eremica was thought to have a highly restricted distribution since it has been known only from two closely situated localities approximately 12–17 km east of Cocklebiddy in the far south-east of Western Australia.[1] But later studies widened its range to the Coolgardie and Nullarborbioregions of southern Western Australia.[2]
Taxonomy
It is most similar to Xeropsalta rattrayi but is distinguished by the male's predominantly black dorsal abdomen. The genus Xeropsalta is allied to Mugadina and Heremusina and is diagnosed by a combination of characters including fused stems of forewing veins, a straight costa to the wing node, and a male abdomen that is clearly wider than the thorax. [1]
References
12345678910Moulds, MS; Marshall, DC (2025). "New genera and species of cicadas from arid Australia (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae)". Megataxa. 17 (1): 1–40 [33].
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