''Brevisana brevis'', known as the shrill thorntree cicada,
is a
cicada
The cicadas () are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into tw ...
found in
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and is the loudest insect on record. It has been recorded producing sounds with pressure levels of 106.7
decibels at a distance of 50 cm.
[Walker, T.J., ed. 2001. University of Florida Book of Insect Records, 2001. ]
References
Hemiptera of Africa
{{Cicadidae-stub