Fly perches on nymphal shell (exuviae) of a recently hatched Australian cicada on a tree trunk in Australia.

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Fly perches on nymphal shell (exuviae) of a recently hatched Australian cicada on a tree trunk. Famale cicadas lay their eggs in slits cut in trees and shrubs. On hatching, the nymphs drop to the ground and burrow into the earth, where they can live for many years before crawling up tree trunks and other objects for their final moult. In summer Australian trees are often festooned with nymphal shells from the more than 200 species occurring there. Photographed on the south coast of New South Wales.

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Size: 4878px × 3455px
Location: New South Wales Australia
Photo credit: © Nic van Oudtshoorn / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: australia, australian, cicada, cicadas, diptera, exuviae, flies, fly, hatch, hatched, hemiptera, insect, insects, invertebrate, invertebrates, nymphal, shell, spineless, tree, trunk