Lyric Cicada vs Tachydromia Dance Fly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Lyric Cicada Tachydromia Dance Fly
Scientific Name Neotibicen lyricen Tachydromia umbrarum
Order Hemiptera Diptera
Family Cicadidae Hybotidae
Size 30-38 mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Sap Feeders Predators
Regions Eastern and Southeastern United States Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Lyric Cicada

A medium-large cicada with a lyre-shaped marking on the dorsal thorax that gives it its name. Its call is a continuous, high-pitched whine heard from mid-summer into early fall.

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Did You Know?

The name 'lyricen' refers to the lyre-shaped pattern on its mesonotum, visible when viewed from above.

Tachydromia Dance Fly

A tiny wingless dance fly that runs rapidly over tree bark hunting for small arthropods. Despite being flightless, it is an agile predator of mites and springtails on trunk surfaces.

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Did You Know?

It is one of the few completely wingless flies, sprinting across tree bark at high speed to catch tiny prey.