Large cicada, borneo
Sun, Mar 15, 2009 at 6:36 PM
I was accosted by this cicada at Sabah, Borneo Island, at the start of March. It was as big as my hand – the biggest flying insect I have seen. Do you know what it is ?
Thanks, Ben D
Borneo
Huge Cicada from Borneo
Goodness Gracious Ben,
That is one huge Cicada. Sadly, we haven’t the time to try to research the species, but we are confident that one of our readers will soon supply us with an identification.
Update: Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 5:21 AM
Hi Daniel and Ben:
Other than its incredible size, this cicada doesn’t have too many distinctive features to help with positive identification. However, based on size and general appearance this looks like it is probably in the genus Pomponia, which includes most of the world’s largest cicadas. At least half a dozen Pomponia species have been recorded from Borneo, but based on visible thoracic and wing markings I suspect it may be P. merula. However, there are several other possibilities, including P. imperatoria which is the largest, and by some accounts the loudest cicada on the planet. It has a reported wingspan of 20 cm! Regards.
Karl
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Seeing this photo reminds me of our visit to Royal Mulu National Park in September 2005. It was the breeding season for these cicadas and all of the trees surrounding the lodge were covered in them. The noise was incredible. In the evening we had to walk from our room to the restaurant and the cicadas were activated by the lights along the walkway. We were mobbed every night. The worst bit was trying to evacuate the ones that managed to get into our room! A truly fantastic experience
We are thrilled to find that you found your Cicada encounter to be a fantastic experience. Other tourists might consider such a trip an ill-timed nightmare.
I had the opportunity to spend 2 months in eastern Borneo back in 1987. I even brought back a dead specimen (my parents recenty disposed ts dusty remains). The sound of these flies is pretty much that of a helicopter, and had a deep impact on me. A bit scary, I admit
Wow, thanks for your account of your first hand experience.