Cicadas are insects. They are classified in the order Hemiptera, which includes all insects with piercing and sucking mouth-parts. (Other insects in this order are bugs, aphids and scale insects). There are more than 200 Australian species of cicadas, most of which belong to the one large family, the Cicadidae.

Cicadas have large compound eyes situated one on each side of the head They also have three very small glistening simple eyes (ocelli) on the top of the head. The cicada's antennae (feelers) are quite small and bristle-like.

The mouth parts of the cicada are enclosed in a long, thin, beak-like sheath. The sheath (labium) passes backwards from the lower surface of the head between the legs when the insect is not feeding. It contains four fine, needle-like stylets used in feeding.

Green Grocer

Yellow Monday

Yellow Monday or Greengrocer Shell.

Some cicada species only sing at dusk.