Walking on the greenway of the mountain city in late autumn, I saw the leaves of the black oak planted on the edge of the greenway begin to turn red in the sun. I couldn't help but think of Watanabe's long-kissed ash cicada on the host's black oak tree.
Mobile phone shot: Black oak leaves
The first time I encountered Watanabe's long-snout ash cicada was in May 2018, when I photographed a strangely shaped insect on the greenway. It looked like cutting a small branch. If it is not the direction of its forward direction that tells its head to face, it will really make people wonder where its head is for a moment and a half. "According to the name of Tusuo", it was found that this strangely shaped insect was a nymph of Watanabe's long-kissed ash cicada.
Mobile phone shot: Watanabe long-kissed nymph of ash cicada
Watanabe long-snout ash cicada (wax cicada family), also known as: Watanabe's oriental wax cicada. It is 65–80 mm long and is the largest wax cicada in the waxhopper family. The head extends in the shape of a rod, with a yellowish end and a spherical shape. Covered with white wax powder, it is distributed in low-altitude mountainous areas, and adults appear in May and August, and host to the black oak tree or mountain tree. Sheds, sucking up host juice with a stinging mouthpiece. The young nymphs are light brown and have an interesting appearance when they rest obliquely upwards. (Source: Gaga Insect Network)
Mobile phone shot: Watanabe long-kissed ash cicada (close-up)
The adult watanabe long-snout ash cicada was encountered in late August of the same year, on the squirrel tree pole on the green road near Myomoto Mountain Villa, fortunately, there were fewer people walking on the greenway in August afternoon, so it did not disturb watanabe long-kissed ash cicadas.
Watanabe long-snout ash cicadas prefer to gather on host tree poles and feed on the sap of the host with a prickly mouthpiece.
Mobile phone shot: Watanabe long kiss ash cicada
Watanabe's long-snouted ash cicada looks interesting. The head has a very large and long stick-like protrusion, and the tip is yellow and ball-shaped, like a clown, with a sense of joy.
Watanabe is an adult insect with a long-kissed ash cicada, which likes to hide and is also highly alert. When disturbed, it will first move sideways on the pole to hide on the other side of the trunk, which is very interesting.
Mobile phone shot: Watanabe long-kissed ash cicada that moves sideways and hides
Watanabe's long-kissed ash cicada nymph, like a truncated small branch, with a yellowish brown body, sits upright, with its head facing upwards, and its abdomen is attached to the ground or on the leaves of the branches, which looks very strange and interesting.
When looking up relevant information on the Internet, it was found that some information mixed the Watanabe long-snouted ash cicada with the longan chicken in the wax cicada family (which had not yet been photographed). Although the two are similar in appearance and size. But they are still very different in body color. Watanabe long-snouted ash cicada, covered with white wax powder, and brown wings with white spots. The longan chicken, on the other hand, has a dark green body color and staggered forewings.
Shooting tools: Thousand yuan (Android) mobile phone
Filming location: Sanming, Fujian, Greenway
(Original photographic graphics to share the joy of eco-photography.) If there is a mistake, please correct and forgive, thank you for your viewing support and encouragement) Respect the original, please do not carry plagiarism!