A collection of living histories
Cicadas | Entomological Atlas
Explore the cicadas in the Luminary Oddities collection through natural history and specimen-derived artwork.
Specimen-derived artwork opens the door. Source-linked guides reveal the insects beyond the frame.
6 guides
White Ghost Cicada
Ayuthia spectabile
Opaque cream and transparent membrane meet in the wings of this Southeast Asian cicada, revealing a very different kind of insect surface from a moth’s scales.
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Becquartina electa
Becquartina electa
A patterned Asian cicada with a broad band across its dark wings. Its striking appearance sits beside a taxonomic story that is still being refined.
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Batwing Cicada
Cryptotympana aquila
Dark wing bases and clear outer membranes belong to a Southeast Asian cicada whose song and microscopic wing surface have each been studied in detail.
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Moth-like Cicada
Gaeana maculata
Broad patterned wings make this cicada easy to mistake for a moth. Field observations and wing-surface experiments published as Gaeana cheni now sit within a revised taxonomic treatment.
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Yellow-banded Cicada
Tacua speciosa
A large forest cicada whose bright collar stands out against a dark body. Malaysian field records add a daytime portrait, while its naming history explains a misleading old Indian attribution.
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Distantalna splendida
Distantalna splendida
Known in older collections as Tosena splendida, this cicada connects semi-opaque wings with a long history of museum records from Asia.
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