Putnam's Cicada vs Lacteus Termite

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Putnam's Cicada Lacteus Termite
Scientific Name Platypedia putnami Coptotermes lacteus
Order Hemiptera Blattodea
Family Cicadidae Rhinotermitidae
Size 18-25 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Sap Feeders Wood Feeders
Regions North America Eastern Australia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Putnam's Cicada

A small, dark cicada found in arid pinyon-juniper woodlands of the western US. It produces quiet clicks rather than the loud buzzing of typical cicadas.

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Did You Know?

Instead of singing, males attract females by tapping their wings together to produce soft clicking sounds.

Lacteus Termite

An Australian mound-building termite that constructs distinctive dark, hard-walled mounds up to 2 meters tall. The mounds are a common sight in pastures and open woodland across eastern Australia. Workers are pale and soft-bodied with gut protozoa for cellulose digestion.

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Did You Know?

Their mounds are so durable that they persist for decades after the colony dies and are sometimes used as road-building material in rural Australia.