''Platypleura'' is a genus of

cicada The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two ...

s, occurring widely across Africa and southern Asia; it belongs to the tribe

Platypleurini The Platypleurini are a tribe (biology), tribe of cicadas from the Afrotropical realm, Afrotropical and Indomalayan realms. There are at least 240 described species in Platypleurini. The earliest member of the group is the fossil cicada ''Eopla ...

and species previously included here are now placed in other genera, such as '' Planopleura'' and '' Dyticopycna''. Some of the South African species are remarkable for their

endothermic An endothermic process is a chemical or physical process that absorbs heat from its surroundings. In terms of thermodynamics, it is a thermodynamic process with an increase in the enthalpy (or internal energy ) of the system.Oxtoby, D. W; Gillis, ...

thermoregulation Thermoregulation is the ability of an organism to keep its body temperature within certain boundaries, even when the surrounding temperature is very different. A thermoconforming organism, by contrast, simply adopts the surrounding temperature ...

that enables crepuscular signalling, an adaptation that reduces risk of predation and enables a greater range for their calls. In field experiments their maximum body temperature while calling at dusk, was measured at 22 °C above ambient temperature. The

are distributed from the

Cape A cape is a clothing accessory or a sleeveless outer garment of any length that hangs loosely and connects either at the neck or shoulders. They usually cover the back, shoulders, and arms. They come in a variety of styles and have been used th ...

in South Africa, throughout

sub-Saharan Africa Sub-Saharan Africa is the area and regions of the continent of Africa that lie south of the Sahara. These include Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa, and West Africa. Geopolitically, in addition to the list of sovereign states and ...

and Madagascar, through India and south-eastern Asia, to Japan. The faunas of West Africa and Madagascar are distinctive, while those of southern and

east Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

resemble the Asian group. Endothermy occurs in several large-bodied South American and South African species, but not in related small-bodied species.

Species

The ''World Auchenorrhyncha Database''World Auchenorrhyncha Database: genus ''Platypleura'' Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843
(retrieved 9 June 2025) includes: # '' Platypleura adouma'' # '' Platypleura affinis'' # '' Platypleura andamana'' –

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago, made up of 200 islands, in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a mari ...

# '' Platypleura arabica''

Myers Myers as a surname has several possible origins, e.g. Old French ("physician"), Old English ("mayor"), and Old Norse ("marsh"). People * Abram F. Myers (1889–after 1960), chair of the Federal Trade Commission and later general counsel and b ...

, 1928 – United Arab Emirates # '' Platypleura argentata'' Villet, 1987 –

Kwazulu-Natal KwaZulu-Natal (, also referred to as KZN) is a Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa that was created in 1994 when the government merged the Zulu people, Zulu bantustan of KwaZulu ("Place of the Zulu" in Zulu language, Zulu) and ...

, South Africa # '' Platypleura argus'' # '' Platypleura arminops'' ( Noualhier, 1896) – ThailandView Handout
/ref> # '' Platypleura assamensis'' Atkinson, 1884 – Jalpaiguri # '' Platypleura auropilosa'' – Thailand # '' Platypleura basimacula'' Walker, 1850 – Kwazulu-Natal,

Mpumalanga Mpumalanga () is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. The name means "East", or literally "The Place Where the Sun Rises" in the Nguni languages. Mpumalanga lies in eastern South Africa, bordering Eswatini and Mozambique. It shares bor ...

Limpopo Limpopo () is the northernmost Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It is named after the Limpopo River, which forms the province's western and northern borders. The term Limpopo is derived from Rivombo (Livombo/Lebombo), a ...

, Northwest Province, Free State, Mozambique, Zimbabwe # '' Platypleura basi-viridis'' Walker, 1850 – IndiaPlatypleura basi-viridis (No common name)
# '' Platypleura bettoni'' Distant, 1904 # '' Platypleura bombifrons'' Karsch, 1890 – Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Zimbabwe # '' Platypleura brevis'' Walker, 1850 – Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi # '' Platypleura brunea'' Villet, 1989a – Eastern Cape, South Africa # '' Platypleura canescens'' Walker, 1870 –

East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...

# '' Platypleura capensis'' (

Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

, 1764) – Western Cape and Eastern Cape, South Africa on '' Metalasia muricata'', ''

Brachylaena discolor ''Brachylaena discolor'' is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, Asteraceae. It is native to Africa, where it occurs in Mozambique, South Africa, and Eswatini.Platypleura capitata'' ( Olivier, 1790) # '' Platypleura cespiticola'' # '' Platypleura centralis'' Distant, 1897 # '' Platypleura chalybaea'' Villet, 1989a – Eastern Cape, South Africa on '' Euphorbia triangularis'' # '' Platypleura ciliaris'' (Linnaeus,

1758 Events January–March * January 1 – Swedish biologist Carl Linnaeus (Carl von Linné) publishes in Stockholm the first volume (''Animalia'') of the 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'', the starting point of modern zoologic ...

) # '' Platypleura clara'' Amyot & Serville, 1843 # '' Platypleura coelebs'' # '' Platypleura crampeli'' # '' Platypleura deusta'' ( Thunberg, 1822) – Mpumalanga, Kwazulu-Natal and

Lesotho Lesotho, formally the Kingdom of Lesotho and formerly known as Basutoland, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. Entirely surrounded by South Africa, it is the largest of only three sovereign enclave and exclave, enclaves in the world, t ...

, South Africa on '' Leucosidea sericea'', '' Cliffortia'' # '' Platypleura distincta'' # '' Platypleura divisa'' ( Germar, 1834) –

Gauteng Gauteng ( , ; Sotho-Tswana languages, Sotho-Tswana for 'place of gold'; or ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Situated on the Highveld, Gauteng is the smallest province by land area in South Africa. Although Gauteng accounts f ...

, Mpumalanga, Kwazulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, South Africa on '' Maytenus heterophylla'' # '' Platypleura durvillei'' # '' Platypleura fulvigera'' # '' Platypleura girardi'' # '' Platypleura gowdeyi'' Distant, 1914 – South Africa on '' Acacia gerrardii'' # '' Platypleura haglundi'' Stål, 1866 – Northwest Province, Free State, Limpopo,

, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal, to Zimbabwe, Southern Africa on '' Acacia karroo'', ''

Acacia ''Acacia'', commonly known as wattles or acacias, is a genus of about of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa, South America, and Austral ...

'', '' Dichrostachys cinerea'' # '' Platypleura hampsoni'' # '' Platypleura harmandi'' # '' Platypleura hilpa'' (Walker, 1850) # '' Platypleura hirta'' Karsch, 1890 – Limpopo,

and Mpumalanga # '' Platypleura hirtipennis'' (Germar, 1834) – Eastern Cape, South Africa on '' Acacia karroo'' # '' Platypleura inglisi'' # '' Platypleura instabilis'' # '' Platypleura intermedia'' # '' Platypleura kabindana'' # '' Platypleura kenyana'' # '' Platypleura laticlavia'' Stål, 1858 – Northwest Province, Limpopo,

Northern Cape The Northern Cape ( ; ; ) is the largest and most sparsely populated Provinces of South Africa, province of South Africa. It was created in 1994 when the Cape Province was split up. Its capital is Kimberley, South Africa, Kimberley. It includes ...

, Botswana, Namibia # '' Platypleura lindiana'' # '' Platypleura lineatella'' # '' Platypleura longirostris'' # '' Platypleura lourensi'' # '' Platypleura machadoi'' # '' Platypleura mackinnoni'' # '' Platypleura makaga'' # '' Platypleura maytenophila'' Villet, 1987 – Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa on '' Maytenus heterophylla'' # '' Platypleura mijburghi'' Villet, 1989a – Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, South Africa on '' Maytenus heterophylla'' # '' Platypleura minima'' # '' Platypleura mira'' (Distant, 1904) – Thailand # '' Platypleura murchisoni'' Distant, 1905e – Mpumalanga # '' Platypleura nigrosignata'' # '' Platypleura octoguttata'' # '' Platypleura parvula'' # '' Platypleura pinheyi'' # '' Platypleura plumosa'' (Germar, 1834) – Eastern Cape, South Africa on '' Acacia karroo'' # '' Platypleura polita'' # '' Platypleura polydorus'' # '' Platypleura poorvachala'' # '' Platypleura punctigera'' Walker, 1850 – Kwazulu-Natal, Eastern Cape # '' Platypleura rothschildi'' # '' Platypleura semusta'' # '' Platypleura signifera'' – Eastern Cape # '' Platypleura sobrina'' Stål, 1866 # '' Platypleura stridula'' - type species (as ''Cicada stridula'' ) – Western Cape, South Africa on ''

Salix Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions. Most species are known ...

'' # '' Platypleura takasagona''_zh Matsumura, 1917 – Taiwan # '' Platypleura techowi'' Schumacher, 1913 – Northern Cape, Free State, North West Province, Limpopo and Mpumalanga # '' Platypleura testacea'' # '' Platypleura turneri'' – Western Cape # '' Platypleura wahlbergi'' Stål, 1855 – Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa on '' Acacia karroo'' # '' Platypleura watsoni'' (Distant, 1897) – Thailand # '' Platypleura westwoodi'' # '' Platypleura witteana'' Note: * ''P. quadraticollis'' (Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Botswana, Zimbabwe) is now '' Oxypleura quadraticollis'' * ''P. zuluensis'' (Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Kwazulu-Natal) is now '' Azanicada zuluensis''

References

External links

*
TaxonomyJapanese site

An Appraisal of the Higher Classification of Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea) with Special Reference to the Australian Fauna - M.S. Moulds
{{Taxonbar, from=Q1946093 Insects of Africa Cicadidae genera Taxa named by Jean Guillaume Audinet-Serville Taxa named by Charles Jean-Baptiste Amyot