Dusty Cicada vs Termitophilous Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Dusty Cicada Termitophilous Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Yanga pulverea Corotoca melantho
Order Hemiptera Coleoptera
Family Cicadidae Staphylinidae
Size 35-50 mm 5-8 mm (body length without physogastric abdomen)
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Sap Feeders Omnivores
Regions Madagascar Brazil, tropical South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Dusty Cicada

A medium to large cicada with a dusty gray-brown body and translucent wings bearing dark venation. It is one of the more commonly encountered cicadas in Madagascar.

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Did You Know?

Its species name 'pulverea' means dusty, referring to the fine powdery coating on its body that helps regulate temperature.

Termitophilous Rove Beetle

A bizarre, physogastric rove beetle that lives inside termite nests in Brazil. The female's abdomen becomes enormously swollen and translucent, resembling a termite queen in miniature.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the only beetles known to give live birth (viviparity); fully formed larvae emerge from the female rather than eggs.