Platypleura is a genus of cicadas, occurring widely across Africa and southern Asia; it is the type genus of the tribe Platypleurini and species previously included here are now placed in other similar genera, such as Planopleura and Dyticopycna.
Some of the South African species are remarkable for their endothermic thermoregulation that enables crepuscular signalling, an adaptation that reduces risk of predation and enables a greater range for their calls. In field experiments their maximum body temperature while calling at dusk, was measured at 22 °C above ambient temperature.
The Platypleurini are distributed from the Cape in South Africa, throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar, through India and south-eastern Asia, to Japan. The faunas of West Africa and Madagascar are distinctive, while those of southern and east Africa resemble the Asian group. Endothermy occurs in several large-bodied South American and South African species, but not in related small-bodied species.pers. comm. prof Martin Villet, Rhodes University
Species
The World Auchenorrhyncha DatabaseWorld Auchenorrhyncha Database: genus Platypleura Amyot & Audinet-Serville, 1843 (retrieved 9 June 2025) includes: Platypleura adouma Platypleura affinis Platypleura andamana – Andaman Islands Platypleura arabica Myers, 1928 – United Arab Emirates Platypleura argentata Villet, 1987 – Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa Platypleura argus Platypleura arminops (Noualhier, 1896) – ThailandView Handout Platypleura assamensis Atkinson, 1884 – Jalpaiguri Platypleura auropilosa – Thailand Platypleura basimacula Walker, 1850 – Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Northwest Province, Free State, Mozambique, Zimbabwe Platypleura basi-viridis Walker, 1850 – IndiaPlatypleura basi-viridis (No common name) Platypleura bettoni Distant, 1904 Platypleura bombifrons Karsch, 1890 – Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Zimbabwe Platypleura brevis Walker, 1850 – Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Malawi Platypleura brunea Villet, 1989a – Eastern Cape, South Africa Platypleura canescens Walker, 1870 – East Timor Platypleura capensis (Linnaeus, 1764) – Western Cape and Eastern Cape, South Africa on Metalasia muricata, Brachylaena discolor Platypleura capitata (Olivier, 1790) Platypleura cespiticola Platypleura centralis Distant, 1897 Platypleura chalybaea Villet, 1989a – Eastern Cape, South Africa on Euphorbia triangularis Platypleura ciliaris (Linnaeus, 1758) Platypleura clara Amyot & Serville, 1843 Platypleura coelebs Platypleura crampeli Platypleura deusta (Thunberg, 1822) – Mpumalanga, Kwazulu-Natal and Lesotho, South Africa on Leucosidea sericea, Cliffortia Platypleura distincta Platypleura divisa (Germar, 1834) – Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Kwazulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, South Africa on Maytenus heterophylla Platypleura durvillei Platypleura fulvigera Platypleura girardi Platypleura gowdeyi Distant, 1914 – South Africa on Vachellia gerrardi Platypleura haglundi Stål, 1866 – Northwest Province, Free State, Limpopo, Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Kwazulu-Natal, to Zimbabwe, Southern Africa on Acacia karroo, Acacia, Dichrostachys cinerea Platypleura hampsoni Platypleura harmandi Platypleura hilpa (Walker, 1850) Platypleura hirta Karsch, 1890 – Limpopo, Gauteng and Mpumalanga Platypleura hirtipennis (Germar, 1834) – Eastern Cape, South Africa on Acacia karroo Platypleura inglisi Platypleura instabilis Platypleura intermedia Platypleura kabindana Platypleura kenyana Platypleura laticlavia Stål, 1858 – Northwest Province, Limpopo, Northern Cape, Botswana, Namibia Platypleura lindiana Platypleura lineatella Platypleura longirostris Platypleura lourensi Platypleura machadoi Platypleura mackinnoni Platypleura makaga Platypleura maytenophila Villet, 1987 – Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa on Maytenus heterophylla Platypleura mijburghi Villet, 1989a – Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo, South Africa on Maytenus heterophylla Platypleura minima Platypleura mira (Distant, 1904) – Thailand Platypleura murchisoni Distant, 1905e – Mpumalanga Platypleura nigrosignata Platypleura octoguttata Platypleura parvula Platypleura pinheyi Platypleura plumosa (Germar, 1834) – Eastern Cape, South Africa on Acacia karroo Platypleura polita Platypleura polydorus Platypleura poorvachala Platypleura punctigera Walker, 1850 – Kwazulu-Natal, Eastern Cape Platypleura rothschildi Platypleura semusta Platypleura signifera – Eastern Cape Platypleura sobrina Stål, 1866 Platypleura stridula - type species (as Cicada stridula ) – Western Cape, South Africa on Salix Platypleura takasagonazh Matsumura, 1917 – Taiwan Platypleura techowi Schumacher, 1913 – Northern Cape, Free State, North West Province, Limpopo and Mpumalanga Platypleura testacea Platypleura turneri – Western Cape Platypleura wahlbergi Stål, 1855 – Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa on Acacia karroo Platypleura watsoni (Distant, 1897) – Thailand Platypleura westwoodi Platypleura witteana Note: P. quadraticollis (Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Botswana, Zimbabwe) is now Oxypleura quadraticollis P. zuluensis (Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Kwazulu-Natal) is now Azanicada zuluensis
References
External links
Taxonomy Japanese site List of Homoptera in Swedish Museum of Natural History An Appraisal of the Higher Classification of Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea) with Special Reference to the Australian Fauna - M.S. Moulds The Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of South Africa (Villet)