Aleeta

Aleeta: The Floury Baker Cicada

Imagine a tiny, whispering voice that can fill an entire forest with its sound. That’s the Aleeta curvicosta, or as it’s commonly known, the floury baker cicada. This unique insect is not just a part of Australia’s rich biodiversity; it’s also one of nature’s most fascinating acousticians.

Description and Appearance

With a body length of 2.9 cm, these cicadas are small but mighty. Their forewings stretch to 3-5.1 cm in length, giving them a wingspan of 9-10 cm. Weighing around 1.02 g, they’re not heavyweights, yet their presence is undeniable. The floury baker gets its name from the white dusting that covers its body and wing veins, making it look like it’s been sprinkled with flour.

Its brown eyes, with pale patterns, and yellowish opercula extending beyond the body add a unique touch. The female is slightly larger than the male, making it easy for entomologists to distinguish between the sexes.

The Call of the Floury Baker

Now, imagine a hissing sound that can be heard from miles away. That’s what the male floury baker cicada produces with its unusual call. This sound is generated by single muscular contractions clicking the tymbal inward, buckling 7–9 ribs and producing pulses at a frequency of around 1050 per second. The abdominal tracheal air sacs act as resonant chambers to amplify this sound, allowing the cicada to modulate its volume, pitch or tune during its call.

Life Cycle and Habitat

The floury baker’s life cycle is a fascinating journey from egg to adult. Eggs are laid in a series of slits on live branches or twigs of food plants, with about sixteen eggs per batch that hatch after 70 days. Nymphs fall from branches to burrow underground, often to a depth of 10–40 cm, where they spend 2–8 years growing and feeding through their rostrum on tree roots.

When the time comes, these nymphs emerge with a bang, extracting their head and clypeus, unfolding wings, and hardening before flying. Adults live for 2-4 weeks, feeding on sap and mating/egg laying during this time. They are found in North Queensland to southern New South Wales, with varying habitats including rainforest margins and suburbs.

Behavior and Predation

The floury baker cicada is not just a passive observer of its environment; it’s an active participant. These insects are usually solitary, perching facing downwards on tree branches. They’re slow fliers, typically moving at 2.1 metres per second, with short flights lasting around 3 seconds. Their wings and body structure make them less adept at landing, which can be both a blessing and a curse in their environment.

But the floury baker isn’t just about its behavior; it’s also prey to many creatures. Bird predation is common, with wrens and grey fantails, noisy miners, blue-faced honeyeaters, little wattlebirds, grey and pied butcherbirds, magpie-larks, Torresian crows, white-faced herons, and even the nocturnal tawny frogmouth all feasting on these insects.

Interesting Facts

The floury baker cicada is not just a passive observer of its environment; it’s an active participant. These insects are usually solitary, perching facing downwards on tree branches. They’re slow fliers, typically moving at 2.1 metres per second, with short flights lasting around 3 seconds. Their wings and body structure make them less adept at landing, which can be both a blessing and a curse in their environment.

But the floury baker isn’t just about its behavior; it’s also prey to many creatures. Bird predation is common, with wrens and grey fantails, noisy miners, blue-faced honeyeaters, little wattlebirds, grey and pied butcherbirds, magpie-larks, Torresian crows, white-faced herons, and even the nocturnal tawny frogmouth all feasting on these insects.

And let’s not forget about the Massospora fungus that can grow on their genitalia and abdominal cavity, eventually causing the tail end to drop off. Australian cicadas are further preyed upon by the cicada killer wasp, adding another layer of complexity to their life cycle.

The floury baker cicada is a fascinating creature with a unique life cycle and behavior that makes it stand out in Australia’s diverse insect population. From its distinctive call to its habitat preferences, this little insect has much to teach us about the intricate world of nature.