Desert Cicada vs Peanut-Head Bug

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Desert Cicada Peanut-Head Bug
Scientific Name Diceroprocta semicincta Fulgora laternaria
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Cicadidae Fulgoridae
Size 28-35 mm 80-100 mm with head projection
Habitat Deserts & Drylands Forests
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions North America Central America, South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Desert Cicada

A heat-loving cicada found throughout the Sonoran and Chihuahuan deserts. Its shrill call is one of the most characteristic sounds of the desert summer.

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Did You Know?

It sweats through tiny pores to cool itself, one of the few insects known to use evaporative cooling.

Peanut-Head Bug

A large planthopper with a bizarre inflated head capsule resembling a peanut or an alligator. When threatened, it flashes large eyespots on its hindwings.

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Did You Know?

Local folklore claims its bite is fatal and must be cured by romantic relations within 24 hours, though it is actually harmless.