Relictapsalta

Relictapsalta is a genus of cicadas in the family Cicadidae, subfamily Cicadettinae and tribe Cicadettini. It is endemic to Australia. It was described in 2016 by entomologists Christopher Owen and Maxwell Sydney Moulds.^[1][2]

Relictapsalta
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Hemiptera
Suborder:	Auchenorrhyncha
Infraorder:	Cicadomorpha
Superfamily:	Cicadoidea
Family:	Cicadidae
Tribe:	Cicadettini
Genus:	Relictapsalta Owen & Moulds, 2016[1][2]

Etymology

The genus name Relictapsalta is a combination derived from Latin relictus (‘left behind’), referring to the species’ presumed relictual status due to changing environmental conditions on the Cape York Peninsula over the past 30 Ma, with psalta, a traditional suffix used in the generic names of many cicadas.^[1]

Species

As of 2025 there was one described species in the genus:^[3][2]

• Relictapsalta nigristriga (Goding & Froggatt, 1904) (Dusty Squawker)