Empress Cicada vs South American Tree Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Empress Cicada	South American Tree Termite
Scientific Name	Pomponia imperatoria	Nasutitermes similis
Order	Hemiptera	Blattodea
Family	Cicadidae	Termitidae
Size	70 mm body, 200 mm wingspan	4-6 mm
Habitat	Forests	Forests
Diet	Sap Feeders	Gall Makers
Regions	Asia	Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay
Conservation	Data Deficient	Least Concern

Empress Cicada

The largest cicada species in the world with a wingspan up to 200 mm. Found in the rainforests of Peninsular Malaysia. Its body length exceeds 70 mm.

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Did You Know?

With a wingspan of 20 cm, this is the worlds largest cicada — it is so heavy that it makes an audible buzzing thump when it crashes into tree trunks while flying.

South American Tree Termite

A common Neotropical nasute termite building carton nests on trees throughout South American forests. Colonies are moderately large with well-organized soldier defense. Workers forage along covered galleries on tree bark.

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Did You Know?

Multiple carton nests of this species in a single tree can be interconnected by covered highways running along branches, forming a super-colony network.