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Luminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Ambragaeana ambra
Hemiptera / Cicadidae
Ambragaeana ambra is a patterned Asian cicada and the type species of its genus. Field observations in Thailand describe canopy calling and overnight adult emergence, while examined Vietnamese material provides a dated high-elevation record.
Read the species account
The photographed adult has brown forewings crossed by creamy markings, black hindwings with pale patches and a dark body. [2]
At Doi Mon Kia in Thailand, Boulard observed final moults in March and April around midnight. Newly emerged adults developed their final coloration by the following morning. [6]
Boulard observed solitary males calling intermittently from the canopy during the hottest part of the day. Males frequently changed position between calls. The song began with separated sounds and continued as a rolling phrase lasting about two seconds; the abdomen extended during calling. [6]
The Thai emergence observations capture the change from a newly moulted adult to its final coloration over a single night. Adult colour in this record is therefore linked to the time elapsed since emergence. [6]
Chou and Yao established Ambragaeana in 1985 with A. ambra as its type species. The designation fixes the species to which the genus name is anchored. [4]
The photographed adult shows pale marks against brown forewings and contrasting pale patches in the dark hindwings. [2]
Amber, cream and dark wing fields give the illustration its contrast; the pale markings preserve the rhythm of the patterned wings.
Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.
Where was the Vietnamese specimen collected? The examined male came from Ngoc Linh, Kon Tum, at 1,700 m on 19 April 2004. [3]
When were newly emerged adults observed in Thailand? Boulard recorded final moults around midnight in March and April, with final coloration developing by the following morning. [6]
The Vietnamese taxonomic account records examined material and distribution. Boulard’s Thai field study describes emergence and calling; the current classification and taxonomic database document the genus and its type species. [3][6][1][4]
Wang, Zhou, Zhang and Wei; Systematic Entomology, 2025 · Accessed 2026-10-09
Photographs by Michel Chantraine and Jeff Blincow, hosted by Cicada Mania · Accessed 2026-10-09
Pham Hong Thai and Jeng-Tze Yang; Zootaxa 2249, 2009; Plazi/Zenodo · Accessed 2026-10-09
World Auchenorrhyncha Database · Accessed 2026-10-09
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute · Accessed 2026-10-09
Sources checked 2026-10-09. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
Return to the Entomological Atlas ↑Michel Boulard; Annales de la Societe entomologique de France 39(2), 2003 · Accessed 2026-10-09
