Black giant cicada
This is Japan's largest cicada, and newly emerged adults are pale and gradually darken to glossy black-and-white over the course of a single night.
| Where | Urban parks and roadside trees |
|---|---|
| Size | 60 to 70 mm body length |
| When | June to September |
The Black giant cicada is Japan's largest cicada species, with a glossy black body marked by two pale, whitish patches across the abdomen and a wide head with oblong eyes; adults measure roughly 60 to 70 mm long.
It favors urban parks and roadside trees at low elevation, where males call loudly from morning through midday while feeding on sap tapped from zelkova, cherry and other trees; its range in Japan has been expanding northward in recent decades.
Traits
Habitat
Towns
Colour
Black, White
Active
Day
To people
Harmless to people; it does not bite or sting and feeds only on tree sap.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
A similarly dark cicada found in the same parks, but the Oily cicada is smaller at about 32 to 40 mm long with duller, entirely brown wings, while the Black giant cicada is larger and glossy black.
Questions
Is the Black giant cicada dangerous to people?
Harmless to people; it does not bite or sting and feeds only on tree sap.
When can you see the Black giant cicada?
The Black giant cicada can be seen from June to September, by day.
Plate retouched from a photo by 岸本年郎, CC BY 4.0, iNaturalist Licence
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True bugs›Cicadas›Cryptotympana
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.