South Indian Cicada Species Gets a New Identity

• 18 Jul 2023

Source: TH

Why in News?

Recent taxonomic research has unveiled a significant discovery regarding a cicada species commonly found in South India.

• Previously mistaken for the Malaysian species Purana tigrina, this cicada has now been identified as a distinct species named Purana cheeveeda.
• The study also highlights the potential implications of the cicada's distribution for ecological assessments.

What are the Major Findings of the Research?

• P. cheeveeda's distribution extends across tropical evergreen forests from Goa to Kanyakumari in South India.
• This discovery supports a high degree of endemism among cicadas.
• The declining presence of cicadas in homesteads may indicate the deterioration of soil quality and vegetation.

What are Cicadas?

• About:
  • Cicadas are insects that belong to the order Hemiptera and the superfamily Cicadoidea.
    • Hemipteran insects, also called true bugs, have mouthparts used for piercing and sucking and have two pairs of wings.
  • They have large eyes, transparent wings and loud calls that are produced by special organs called tymbals.
• Dietary Pattern and Life Cycle:
  • Cicadas are mostly herbivorous and feed on plant sap using their piercing and sucking mouthparts.
  • They have complex life cycles that involve long periods of underground development and short periods of adult emergence.
• Habitat:
  • Most cicadas are canopy dwellers and are found in natural forests with large trees; found in every continent except Antarctica.
  • The generic diversity of cicadas in India and Bangladesh ranks the highest in the world, followed by China.
• Significance:
  • Cicadas are important for biodiversity because they provide food for many predators, pollinate flowers, aerate the soil, recycle nutrients and indicate environmental health.
• Major Threat:
  • Human development activities reduce the number of trees that cicadas depend on for feeding and reproduction.
  • Climate change may disrupt the timing and synchronization of cicada emergence.
  • Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides contaminate the soil and water and affect the health and survival of cicadas and their host plants.