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Wattle Cicada - Cicadetta oldfieldi
Family Cicadidae
This page contains pictures and information about Wattle Cicadas that we found in the Brisbane area, Queensland, Australia. They are also known as Thin-striped Wattle Cicadas.
- Body length 20mm
- We first found this Thin-striped Wattle Cicada resting on the Hibiscus in our back yard early summer 2002. There were a few of them there.
- Their body is green in colour, with brown strip on thorax extended to whole body. The pair of compound eyes and three simple eyes are reddish-brown in colour, which are outstanding from their green head. Their wings are clear with thin green to black veins.
- As their common name implies, the Thin-striped Wattle Cicadas are also be found on Wattle (Acacia) tree. They call with soft lilting to buzzing song.
- In the above photos, the cicada was sitting quietly and feeding on the wattle 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.
- Reference:
- 1. Wildlife of Greater Brisbane - Queensland Museum: Brisbane (1997), p88.
- 2. Species Cicadetta oldfieldi (Distant, 1883) - Australian Faunal Directory, Australian Biological Resources Study.
