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Luminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Sulphogaeana sulphurea
Hemiptera / Cicadidae
Sulphogaeana sulphurea is a Himalayan cicada with sulphur-yellow wings crossed and bordered by dark markings. Historical descriptions detail its contrasting body pattern, and field observations include a mating pair in Bhutan.
Read the species account
Distant describes sulphur-yellow wings with a dark band crossing the forewing and a broad dark apical area. The black body carries reddish-ochre markings on the head and thorax, including a dark hourglass-shaped band within the paler pronotum. The hindwing’s dark outer area narrows towards the anal angle. [2]
Blincow photographed a mating pair in Bhutan, documenting the adults together in the field. [3]
Kafley and Smetacek observed birds ignoring dead and dying adults during April and May in the western Himalaya. They interpreted this avoidance as consistent with distastefulness. [5]
The dorsal view shows the forewing’s dark cross-band and the broad yellow hindwing field. The body contributes its own reddish-ochre and black pattern to the complete specimen. [2]
The illustration emphasizes yellow fields within a dark wing network. Bold contours preserve the pattern while simplified colour gives the specimen a clear silhouette.
Protect framed specimens from direct daylight, moisture and handling damage. Use photographs to inspect fine wing divisions without repositioning fragile structures.
Wang, Zhou, Zhang and Wei; Systematic Entomology, 2025 · Accessed 2026-10-09
W. L. Distant, 1889–1892; University of Toronto copy · Accessed 2026-10-09
Photographs by Michel Chantraine and Jeff Blincow, hosted by Cicada Mania · Accessed 2026-10-09
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute · Accessed 2026-10-09
Parixit Kafley and Peter Smetacek; Bionotes23(1), 2021, p.3 · Accessed 2026-10-09
Sources checked 2026-10-11. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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