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Turquoise and Black Beetle
Wed, Feb 4, 2009 at 2:43 AM
Saw this one laying on the beach in Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica. I think it was dying because it wasn’t moving much and wasn’t scared of us. It was about 2 inches long. So beautiful..
Tori
Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Cicada from Costa Rica

Hi Tori,
Your mystery insect is a Cicada, not a Beetle. Cicadas are often responsible for the loud buzzing sounds you hear emanating from the treetops. We don’t know the species here, but perhaps one of our readers can supply that information. Meanwhile, we are going to ask Paco the Gardener from El Salvador to tell us the lore surrounding the Cicada in Central America and eventually post what he relates.

Update:
Hi Daniel:
This gorgeous cicada is in the genus Zammara, probably Z. smaragdina. There are one or two other possibilities in the genus, but Z. smaragdina looks the closest. I will be visiting Costa Rica myself in a few weeks and I will be looking for this beauty! Regards.
Karl
Link: http://nathistoc.bio.uci.edu/Honduras/Hemiptera/Zammara%20smaragdina.htm

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1. Cicada from Costa Rica (March 13, 2007)
2. Costa Rican Tortoise Beetle (June 7, 2008)
3. Costa Rican Dung Beetle with Phoretic Mites (January 7, 2009)
4. Costa Rican Bottlebrush Weevil (February 10, 2009)
5. Unknown Cockroach Nymph from Costa Rica (September 10, 2009)