page_title: Aleeta curvicosta
section_title: Distribution and habitat
hierarchical_section_title: Aleeta curvicosta / Distribution and habitat
caption_attribution_description: English: Floury Baker (Abricta curvicosta) cicada (back) in Sydney, NSW, Australia.
context_page_description: Aleeta curvicosta is a species of cicada, one of Australia's most familiar insects. Native to the continent's eastern coastline, it was described in 1834 by Ernst Friedrich Germar. The floury baker is 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 including a light-coloured line along the midline of the pronotum. Its forewings have distinctive dark brown patches at the base of two of their apical cells. The female is larger than the male, although species size overall varies geographically, with larger animals associated with regions of higher rainfall. The male has distinctive genitalia and 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 typically emerge from the soil through a three-month period from late November to late February, and can be encountered until May.
context_section_description: The floury baker is found from the Daintree River in North Queensland to Bendalong in southern New South Wales. It is a highland species in the northern part of its range, restricted to the Atherton Tableland and Eungella National Park to the west of Mackay, but more a lowland species in the remainder of its range. It may be found in varied habitats, from rainforest margins to suburbs, even in the centre of Sydney.
caption: Dorsal view
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