Kaempfer Cicada vs Japanese Spider Wasp

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Kaempfer Cicada Japanese Spider Wasp
Scientific Name Platypleura kaempferi Batozonellus lacerticida
Order Hemiptera Hymenoptera
Family Cicadidae Pompilidae
Size 22-28 mm 15-25 mm
Habitat Underground Underground
Diet Sap Feeders Predators
Regions Japan, Korea, Eastern China Europe, Asia, Japan
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Kaempfer Cicada

A small cicada with cryptic bark-like coloration and a distinctive rattling call. It is named after the German naturalist Engelbert Kaempfer who studied Japanese natural history.

💡

Did You Know?

Known as 'niiniizemi' in Japan, it is one of the first cicadas to begin calling in early summer, heralding the start of the cicada season.

Japanese Spider Wasp

A large black spider wasp with yellow-banded legs found across Eurasia. It hunts large orb-weaver spiders and provisions underground burrows with its prey.

💡

Did You Know?

It specifically targets large Argiope garden spiders, plucking them directly from their webs.