Empress cicada - Pomponia imperatoria

Empress cicada - Pomponia imperatoria

1. Cicadas are sucking insects that belong to the beaked cicadas (Hemiptera). They include the suborders of round-headed cicadas (Cicadomorpha) and pointed-headed cicadas (Fulgoromorpha) and include over 45,000 species worldwide, including 638 from Germany. Cicadas have roof-shaped wings, thread-like antennae and a proboscis on the lower edge of the head. Their forewings are coarser than their hindwings, and their body length varies from 1.8 to 38 millimeters. Some species have special projections on the pronotum.

2. Cicadas feed on plant juices, especially from the phloem. Most species are restricted to certain nutrient plants. They have specialized hind legs for jumping, are capable of flight, and often cover distances by drifting in the wind. They reproduce bisexually and undergo an incomplete transformation from egg to larva directly to adult. They live in a variety of habitats from salt marshes to forests and are well adapted to their environment.

3. Cicadas have various enemies such as spiders, predatory bugs, soft bugs, ants and birds. They are also attacked by parasites such as cicada wasps, eye flies and fan wings. The importance of herbivorous cicadas is that they make up about a quarter of all organisms and are important consumers in ecosystems. They influence vegetation and food webs. Their species diversity, attachment to specific habitats and sensitivity to changes make them bioindicators. Over 50 percent of cicada species are endangered, and some are on the verge of extinction. The causes are loss of habitat, intensive agriculture, historical changes in use and interventions in the water balance.