Austropunia
Genus of cicadas
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Austropunia is a genus of cicadas in the family Cicadidae, subfamily Cicadettinae and tribe Cicadettini. It is endemic to Australia. It was described in 2025 by Australian entomologists Maxwell Sydney Moulds and David C. Marshall. As of 2025 the genus contained one valid species, also known as the Munjina peeper.[1][2]
| Austropunia | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Auchenorrhyncha |
| Family: | Cicadidae |
| Subfamily: | Cicadettinae |
| Tribe: | Cicadettini |
| Genus: | Austropunia Moulds & Marshall, 2025[1][2] |
Species
Austropunia cheloides Moulds & Marshall, 2025[3]
Etymology
The generic name Austropunia is a combination derived from “Australia” and from the genus “Punia”, to which it is closely related.[1][4] The specific epithet cheloides comes from the Greek chele (“claw”) and -oides (“similar to”), referring to the shape of the upper pygofer lobes of the male cicadas.[1][5]
Description
Distribution and habitat
The species occurs in the Pilbara region of north-western Western Australia, between the Fortescue and De Grey Rivers, and in the central Northern Territory. The associated habitat is spinifex and low shrubs.[1]
