Platypleura

Platypleura is a genus of cicadas that occurs widely across Africa and southern Asia. 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.

List of species

 * Platypleura affinis (Fabricius, 1803)
 * Platypleura afzelii Stål, 1854
 * Platypleura albigera Walker, 1850 – Western Cape, Eastern Cape
 * Platypleura albivannata Hayashi, 1974 – Japan
 * Platypleura andamana Distant, 1878 – Andaman Islands
 * Platypleura arabica Myers, 1928 – United Arab Emirates
 * Platypleura argentata Villet, 1987 – Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
 * Platypleura arminops (Noualhier, 1896) – Thailand
 * Platypleura assamensis Atkinson, 1884 – Jalpaiguri
 * Platypleura auropilosa (Kato, 1940) – Thailand
 * Platypleura basimacula Walker, 1850 – Kwazulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Northwest Province, Free State, Mozambique, Zimbabwe
 * Platypleura basi-viridis Walker, 1850 – India
 * 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 centralis Distant, 1897
 * Platypleura chalybaea Villet, 1989a – Eastern Cape, South Africa on Euphorbia triangularis
 * Platypleura ciliaris (Linnaeus, 1758)
 * Platypleura clara Amyot & Serville, 1843
 * Platypleura deusta (Thunberg, 1822) – Mpumalanga, Kwazulu-Natal and Lesotho, South Africa on Leucosidea sericea, Cliffortia
 * Platypleura divisa (Germar, 1834) – Gauteng, Mpumalanga, Kwazulu-Natal and Eastern Cape, South Africa on Maytenus heterophylla
 * Platypleura fenestrata Uhler, 1862a
 * Platypleura fulvigera (Walker, 1850)
 * Platypleura gowdeyi Distant, 1914 – South Africa on Acacia gerrardii
 * 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 hilpa (Walker, 1850)
 * Platypleura hirta Karsch, 1890 – Limpopo, Gauteng and Mpumalanga
 * Platypleura hirtipennis (Germar, 1834) – Eastern Cape, South Africa on Acacia karroo
 * Platypleura kaempferi(ja) (Fabricius, 1794) – Japan, China, Russia, Malaysia, Korean Peninsula, Taiwan.
 * Platypleura kuroiwae Matsumura, 1917 – Japan
 * Platypleura laticlavia Stål, 1858 – Northwest Province, Limpopo, Northern Cape, Botswana, Namibia
 * Platypleura lindiana Distant, 1905
 * Platypleura lyricen Kirkaldy
 * Platypleura machadoi Boulard, 1972
 * Platypleura marshalli Distant, 1897
 * 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 mira (Distant, 1904) – Thailand
 * Platypleura miyakona Matsumura, 1917 – Japan
 * Platypleura murchisoni Distant, 1905e – Mpumalanga
 * Platypleura nigrolinea (De Geer, 1773) = P. stridula
 * Platypleura nobilis (Germar, 1830) – Thailand
 * Platypleura octoguttata (Fabricius, 1798)
 * Platypleura poorvachala (Marathe et al., 2017)
 * Platypleura plumosa (Germar, 1834) – Eastern Cape, South Africa on Acacia karroo
 * Platypleura punctigera Walker, 1850 – Kwazulu-Natal, Eastern Cape
 * Platypleura quadraticollis Butler, 1874 – Mpumalanga, Limpopo, Botswana, Zimbabwe
 * Platypleura rutherfordi Distant, 1883
 * Platypleura signifera Walker, 1850 – Eastern Cape
 * Platypleura sobrina Stål, 1866
 * Platypleura stridula (Linnaeus, 1758) – Western Cape, South Africa on Salix
 * Platypleura sylvia Distant, 1899 – Sekhukhuneland
 * Platypleura takasagonazh Matsumura, 1917 – Taiwan
 * Platypleura techowi Schumacher, 1913 – Northern Cape, Free State, North West Province, Limpopo and Mpumalanga
 * Platypleura turneri Boulard, 1975a – Western Cape
 * Platypleura wahlbergi Stål, 1855 – Eastern Cape and Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa on Acacia karroo
 * Platypleura watsoni (Distant, 1897) – Thailand
 * Platypleura westwoodi Stål, 1863
 * Platypleura yayeyamana Matsumura, 1917 – Japan
 * Platypleura zuluensis Villet, 1987 – Eastern Cape, Western Cape, Kwazulu-Natal