Life of an Amphibian

Photo Feature

Cicada Moulting
On a rainy night in the rainforests of Agumbe, a muddy cicada Pomponia sp. crawls up a twig to find an appropriate spot to moult. Cicadas are known to be the monsoon musicians, their medleys announcing the arrival of the season. Though their wings appear translucent, scientists now suggest that wings of several insects such as cicadas and wasps have unique patterns of swirls, spots and stripes, all exhibiting resplendent colour. When seen against a white surface, the colours go unnoticed but if seen against a coloured background, particularly black, it absorbs all the light to reveal patterns unlike any other.  Photo: Pavan Kumar T.S.

life of an amphibian