Large brown cicada
Males end their loud buzzing call with a sharp click made by snapping their wings, a signal often heard just before they fly off.
| Where | Parks and broadleaf woodland trees |
|---|---|
| Size | 53 to 60 mm body length |
| When | July to September |
This is one of the largest cicadas in Japan, with fully opaque brown wings crossed by yellowish green veins, a blackish brown head and thorax, and a pale whitish belly.
Adults emerge from July to September after several years underground as nymphs, and males call loudly from tree trunks in gardens and city parks to attract mates.
Traits
Habitat
Towns
Colour
Brown, Black
Active
Day
To people
Harmless to people; it does not bite or sting, though its calling can be very loud close up.
Activity through the year
Often confused with
Glossy black rather than brown, with fully transparent wings instead of the Large brown cicada's opaque brown ones, though similar in overall size.
Questions
Is the Large brown cicada dangerous to people?
Harmless to people; it does not bite or sting, though its calling can be very loud close up.
When can you see the Large brown cicada?
The Large brown cicada can be seen from July to September, by day.
Plate retouched from a museum specimen photo by National Museum of Nature and Science, Japan, CC BY 4.0, GBIF Licence
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True bugs›Cicadas›Graptopsaltria
Last updated 2026-09-27. Every entry is checked against published sources.