Minmin Cicada vs Neotropical Backswimmer

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Minmin Cicada Neotropical Backswimmer
Scientific Name Hyalessa maculaticollis Buenoa antigone
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Cicadidae Notonectidae
Size 33-38 mm 5-9 mm
Habitat Parks Ponds & Lakes
Diet Sap Feeders Omnivores
Regions Japan, Korea, Eastern China Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Minmin Cicada

A Japanese cicada known as 'minminzemi' with a green and black body and transparent wings. Its distinctive 'min-min-min' call is one of the iconic sounds of Japanese summer.

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Did You Know?

Its call is so culturally significant in Japan that it is frequently used as a sound effect in anime and films to instantly establish a summer setting.

Neotropical Backswimmer

A small aquatic bug that swims upside-down using its long oar-like hind legs. Its pale ventral surface provides camouflage when viewed from below against the sky.

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Did You Know?

It carries a silvery air bubble on its belly that functions like a physical gill, extracting dissolved oxygen from the water.