| Night-time
in the Australian summer is often accompanied by a loud,
monotonous, almost painful zitting or buzzing sound that rises and
falls in intensity and sometime stops for no apparent reason, only
to start again soon after. The male Green Grocer Cicada is
usually the source of this sound which is created by vibrating
structures in the insect's abdomen and is designed to attract
females.
The name Green Grocer is a little
misleading for although it is the commonest colour for the species
there are many colour forms with yellow and black (called a Yellow
Monday), orange and even blue markings.
Young cicadas spend most of their
time underground and sometimes live for many years, whereas the
flying adults may only live for a few weeks.
|
