African Cicada vs Tiridates Charaxes

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute African Cicada Tiridates Charaxes
Scientific Name Platypleura hirtipennis Charaxes tiridates
Order Hemiptera Lepidoptera
Family Cicadidae Nymphalidae
Size 35-50 mm body length 80-100 mm wingspan
Habitat Grasslands Forests
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia) West and Central Africa (Nigeria, Cameroon, Gabon, DRC)
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.

💡

Did You Know?

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

Tiridates Charaxes

A spectacular large forest butterfly with vivid blue and black upperside and ornate brown and white underside markings. It is a powerful glider that soars through the forest canopy. Two prominent tails extend from the hindwings.

💡

Did You Know?

This species has been recorded flying at heights exceeding 30 meters in the forest canopy, rarely descending to ground level.