Little Grass Cicada

Also known as variable cicada, or Kikihia muta muta. I have been able to ID it using the excellent Cicadas of New Zealand by Olly Hills, who was 11 years old when it was published. According to Olly the Latin muta means mute, a name given the cicada by Joseph Banks in 1770. He caught one while on Capt. Cook’s first voyage to NZ and noted that it didn’t sing. However only males sing and he had caught a female.

This one sunned itself on my washing and didn’t say a thing. Perhaps it is a female.