Kikihia rosea, commonly known as the pink cicada or Murihiku cicada, is a species of insect that is endemic to New Zealand. It belongs to the genus Kikihia within the family Cicadidae (order Hemiptera).
Description
Adults are medium-sized cicadas, typically measuring 18–22 mm in body length. The species is characterized by a generally brown-gray dorsal surface with distinct pale-rose or pinkish markings on the thorax and wing veins, from which its specific epithet rosea (Latin for "rose-coloured") is derived. Some individuals exhibit a pinkish colouration, while others have more orange-brownish colouring.
Taxonomy
The species was first described by the English entomologist Francis Walker in 1850 under the original name Cicada rosea. It was later transferred to the genus Kikihia.
Distribution and habitat
Kikihia rosea is endemic to New Zealand, where it is found in the southern regions, particularly associated with the Murihiku (Southland) area.
References
- Larivière, M.-C.; Fletcher, M. J.; Larochelle, A. (2010). "Auchenorrhyncha (Insecta: Hemiptera): catalogue" (PDF). Fauna of New Zealand. 63: 1–232.
- "Kikihia rosea (Walker, 1850)". Manaaki Whenua - Landcare Research.
- Gordon, Dennis P., ed. (2010). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: Kingdom animalia: chaetognatha, ecdysozoa, ichnofossils. Vol. 2. p. 403. ISBN 978-1-877257-93-3.
- Fleming, C. A. (1984). "The cicada genus Kikihia Dugdale (Hemiptera; Homoptera). Part 1. The New Zealand green foliage cicadas". National Museum of New Zealand Records. 2 (18): 191–206.
