Aleeta curvicosta, commonly called the floury baker or floury miller, is a species of cicada native to the eastern coastline of Australia. Described in 1834 by Ernst Friedrich Germar, it is currently the only described species in the genus Aleeta. The floury baker's distinctive appearance and loud call make it popular with children. Both the common and genus name are derived from the white, flour-like filaments covering the adult body. Its body and eyes are generally brown with pale patterns. Its forewings have dark brown patches at the base of two of their apical cells. The female is larger than the male, and both grow larger in regions of higher rainfall. The male has a loud and complex call generated by the frequent buckling of ribbed tymbals and amplified by abdominal air sacs. The floury baker is solitary and occurs in low densities. Individuals emerge from the soil between November and February, and can be seen until May. They inhabit a variety of trees, with a preference for paperbark. The floury baker, which is a relatively poor flier, is preyed upon by cicada killer wasps and a wide variety of birds, and can succumb to a cicada-specific fungal disease.
Read more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aleeta_curvicosta
_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:
1607:
Susenyos defeated the combined armies of Yaqob and Abuna Petros II at the Battle of Gol in Gojjam, making him Emperor of Ethiopia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susenyos_I
1830:
By royal decree, the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army was established to be the military force maintained by the Netherlands in its colony of the Dutch East Indies. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Netherlands_East_Indies_Army
1952:
Forbidden by law to seek re-election, former Cuban President Fulgencio Batista staged a coup d'état to resume control. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulgencio_Batista
1975:
Ho Chi Minh Campaign: North Vietnam began its final push for victory over South Vietnam with an attack on Ban Me Thuot. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Ban_Me_Thuot
2005:
Tung Chee Hwa, the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong, announced his resignation following widespread dissatisfaction with his leadership. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tung_Chee_Hwa
_____________________________ Wiktionary's word of the day:
normothermic: (medicine) Having a normal body temperature. https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/normothermic
___________________________ Wikiquote quote of the day:
 What I am is what I am. Are you what you are — or what? --Edie Brickell https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Edie_Brickell
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