Thin-striped Wattle Cicada - Cicadetta oldfieldi
Family Cicadidae
This page contains pictures and information about Thin-striped Wattle Cicadas that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia.
- Body length 20mm
- We first found those cicadas resting on the Hibiscus in our back yard during early summer.
- Their bodies are green in colour, with brown marking on thorax. Their pair of compound eyes and three simple eyes are reddish-brown and outstanding from their green head. Their wings are clear with thin black veins.
- As their name implies, the cicada can also be found on Wattle (Acacia) tree.
- The cicadas were sitting quietly and feeding on the tree trunk. When we touched them with our figures, it slowly removed their mouth parts from the tree trunk and flied to another location near by.
The Host Plant
- Black Wattle
- Acacia concurrens, Family Mimosaceae
- The Thin-striped Wattle Cicadas were known to feed on different species of wattle, including the Black Wattle. Many of them can be found on main tree trunk and stem of young Black Wattle trees. Black Wattle is one of the most common trees in Brisbane's Eucalypt forest and bushland. We did not notice if any damage was done by the cicadas to the host tree.
- We like to thank Lindsay Popple again here for helping to identify this species.
