Quesada gigas
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Author(s): W.L. Distant/W. Purkiss
Source: Wikimedia Common
Quesada gigas (Olivier, 1790) - (giant cicada)
This large cicada is found in tropical and subtropical parts of the Americas. It feeds on a variety of trees and bushes. Legumes (Fabaceae) are common host plants like the tree Schizolobium parahyba which is sometimes grown in plantations. In South America, Q. gigas is regarded as an important pest of coffee in some areas. High infestations lead to leaf chlorosis, premature leaf drop, up to the death of trees and bushes.
The female inserts its ovipositor into dry or alive branches to deposit eggs. After emergence, the nymphs leave the branches, drop to the ground and dig into the soil (Decaro Júnior et al., 2012). They feed by sucking sap from the roots. The development of the nymphs lasts around 4 years. The last instar nymph leaves the soil, climbs the host plant and moults to the adult stage.
| Vernacular names | |
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| • English: | giant cicada |
| • Português: | cigarrinha-do-cafezal |
