African Cicada vs Congo Giant Ground Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute African Cicada Congo Giant Ground Beetle
Scientific Name Platypleura hirtipennis Anthia duodecimguttata
Order Hemiptera Coleoptera
Family Cicadidae Carabidae
Size 35-50 mm body length 35-55 mm
Habitat Grasslands Grasslands
Diet Sap Feeders Predators
Regions East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia) Sub-Saharan Africa (widespread from Senegal to Ethiopia and South Africa)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

African Cicada

A large cicada with brownish wings and a stout body. Males produce a deafening chorus using specialized tymbal organs on the abdomen during the hot hours of the day.

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Did You Know?

The sound of a cicada chorus can reach over 100 decibels, making them among the loudest insects in the world.

Congo Giant Ground Beetle

A massive black ground beetle with twelve white spots on its elytra, found across sub-Saharan Africa. It is one of the largest carabid beetles on the continent.

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Did You Know?

This beetle can deliver a painful bite and simultaneously spray formic acid from its abdomen, using a dual defense strategy that makes it formidable for predators to handle.