''Tryella'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of 14 species 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 ...

found in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

and New Guinea. For many years, the members were classified in the genus ''

Abricta ''Abricta'' is a genus of cicada found in Réunion, Mauritius, northeastern India, the Moluccas, New Caledonia and eastern Australia. They make a distinctive hissing sound when calling. Adult members of the genus usually face downwards on tree br ...

''. However, recent review of the genus has shown it to be a disparate group of species, and the Australian members moved to other genera. S.M. Moulds conducted a morphological analysis of the genus and found the cicadas split naturally into clades according to biogeographical region. Of the 15 Australian species, the floury baker was the earliest offshoot. Unpublished data confirmed it was quite genetically distant from the other 14 species and so it was classified in a new monotypic genus ''

Aleeta ''Aleeta'' is a genus of cicadas with the Monotypic taxon, only species ''Aleeta curvicosta'' (commonly known as the floury baker or floury miller, known until 2003 as ''Abricta curvicosta''), one of Australia's most familiar insects. Native to ...

'', while the others were placed in the genus ''Tryella''. The genus name is derived from the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

''tryelis'' " ladle" and relates to the ladle-shaped uncal lobes of the species in the genus. The group are commonly called bullets, the name derived from markings behind their heads, which together with their compact bodies make them resemble bullets while in flight. Phylogenetic evidence supports ''Tryella'' and ''Aleeta'' as being the closest relatives to the famous periodical cicadas (genus '' Magicicada'') of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

despite being widely geographically separated from them.

Species

The

type species In International_Code_of_Zoological_Nomenclature, zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the spe ...

is '' Tryella ochra''. Within the group, cladistic morphological analysis showed ''T. rubra'' to be the earliest offshoot within the genus. The relationships between other species was not able to be clarified. The following species belong to the genus ''Tryella''. * '' Tryella adela'' Moulds, 2003 (

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

) * '' Tryella burnsi'' Moulds, 2003 (

Queensland Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...

) - brown buzzing bullet * '' Tryella castanea'' (Distant, 1905) (Northern Territory, Queensland,

Western Australia Western Australia (WA) is the westernmost state of Australia. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east, and South Australia to the south-east. Western Aust ...

) * '' Tryella crassa'' Moulds, 2003 (Northern Territory, Queensland) - dusky bullet * '' Tryella fumipennis'' Emery, Emery, Hutchinson & Ong, 2022 (Western Australia) * '' Tryella graminea'' Moulds, 2003 (Northern Territory, Queensland) - grass buzzing bullet * '' Tryella infuscata'' Moulds, 2003 (Northern Territory, Queensland) * ''

Tryella kauma ''Tryella'' is a genus of 14 species of cicada found in Australia and New Guinea. For many years, the members were classified in the genus ''Abricta''. However, recent review of the genus has shown it to be a disparate group of species, and the ...

'' Moulds, 2003 (Queensland) * ''

Tryella lachlani ''Tryella'' is a genus of 14 species of cicada found in Australia and New Guinea. For many years, the members were classified in the genus ''Abricta''. However, recent review of the genus has shown it to be a disparate group of species, and the ...

'' Moulds, 2003 (Queensland,

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

) * ''

Tryella noctua ''Tryella'' is a genus of 14 species of cicada found in Australia and New Guinea. For many years, the members were classified in the genus ''Abricta''. However, recent review of the genus has shown it to be a disparate group of species, and the ...

'' (Distant, 1913) (Western Australia) * ''

Tryella occidens ''Tryella'' is a genus of 14 species of cicada found in Australia and New Guinea. For many years, the members were classified in the genus ''Abricta''. However, recent review of the genus has shown it to be a disparate group of species, and the ...

'' Moulds, 2003 (Western Australia) * '' Tryella ochra'' Moulds, 2003 (Northern Territory, Queensland) * ''

Tryella rubra ''Tryella'' is a genus of 14 species of cicada found in Australia and New Guinea. For many years, the members were classified in the genus ''Abricta''. However, recent review of the genus has shown it to be a disparate group of species, and the ...

'' (Goding & Froggatt, 1904) (Western Australia, Northern Territory, Queensland) - large rusty bullet * ''

Tryella stalkeri ''Tryella'' is a genus of 14 species of cicada found in Australia and New Guinea. For many years, the members were classified in the genus ''Abricta''. However, recent review of the genus has shown it to be a disparate group of species, and the ...

'' (Distant, 1907) (Western Australia) * '' Tryella willsi'' (Distant, 1882) (Queensland) - black buzzing bullet * '' Tryella wuggubun'' Emery, Emery, Hutchinson & Ong, 2022 (Western Australia)

Distribution and habitat

The species are found across eastern, central and northern Australia, and southwestern New Guinea, predominantly on trees, especially eucalypti.

Behaviour

Male ''Tryella'' cicadas call during the day and dusk. Adults emerge from pupation after monsoonal rain. They characteristically sit facing downwards on branches, of generally less than in diameter. One species, ''T. graminea'', is found on grass.

References

Hemiptera of Australia Lamotialnini Cicadidae genera {{Cicadidae-stub