Palo Verde Root Borer Cicada vs Razor Grinder Cicada

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Palo Verde Root Borer Cicada Razor Grinder Cicada
Scientific Name Okanagana hesperia Henicopsaltria eydouxii
Order Hemiptera Hemiptera
Family Cicadidae Cicadidae
Size 20-28 mm 35-50 mm
Habitat Grasslands Forests
Diet Sap Feeders Sap Feeders
Regions North America Australia, Oceania
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Palo Verde Root Borer Cicada

A medium-sized dark cicada found in sagebrush steppe and desert grasslands. Males call from low shrubs during the heat of summer afternoons.

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Did You Know?

Its nymphs may spend up to five years underground feeding on root fluids before emerging as adults.

Razor Grinder Cicada

A large cicada known for its distinctive high-pitched grinding call that sounds like metal being sharpened on a grindstone. It is common in the eucalyptus forests of southeastern Australia.

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Did You Know?

Its call is so loud and persistent that it can make conversation difficult for people standing near a calling tree.