Cicadapocalypse
Kelly’s Field Notes
Common Name: Cicada
Order: Hemiptera
Superfamily: Cicadoidea
Family: Tettigarctidae, Cicadidae
Genera: There is 1 extant (living) genera within family Tettigarctidae, Tettigarcta, and around 469 genera within family Cicadidae
Species of Note Near You (There are over 3,000 species of cicada worldwide, 190 in North America):
"Dog Day" Cicada (Tibicen linnei) - found in the eastern U.S., this is an annual cicada you’ll see every summer.
Swamp cicada (Neotibicen tibicen) - found in the eastern and central parts of the U.S.
Say’s cicada (Okanagana rimosa rimosa) - found in the Pacific Northwest, U.S.
Common cicada (Lyristes plebejus) - found throughout Europe and the Middle East.
Bladder Cicada (Cystosoma saundersii) - found in New South Wales and eastern Queensland, Australia.
Majeorona aper - found in Brazil, Panama, Columbia, French Guiana, and Ecuador.
2024 is the big double brood emergence of Broods XIX and XIII!
Brood XIX - Magicicada tredecim, Magicicada tredecassini, Magicicada tredecula, Magicicada neotredecim
Brood XIII - Magicicada cassini, Magicicada septendecim, and Magicicada septendecula
Description:
Adult cicadas are stout little guys and gals with oblong bodies. They have large clear wings, broad heads, and big compound eyes. They are around 2.5 cm - 3.8 cm (1-1.5 in) in length. Adults can come in many color combinations from green, to black, to blue, , to green with multiple markings depending on species. Nymphs are light brown, wingless with large compound eyes.
Life Cycle:
Female cicadas etch a small groove in the bark of a tree, then lay their eggs in it. After about 6 weeks the eggs hatch and the nymphs have a sap snack. Once they’ve eaten they drop off of the tree and burrow into the ground. Here they will tunnel around feeding on tree sap until next Spring, or for 2 years, or if they are a periodical cicada not for 13 or even 17 years!
When they have eaten enough and it’s time to be an adult the nymphs crawl up the trees they have been feeding on and molt. Their exoskeleton splits down the center of their backs and the adult emerges, hanging upside down while its wings expand and its exoskeleton hardens.
Super Powers:
Singing - heavy tunes to woo the ladies
Snaps - females make snapping sounds to attract males
Patience - whether they are waiting a season or 17 years, cicadas are masters and waiting it out.
Flight - they aren’t great at it, but they do fly!
References:
“Cicada.” Wikipedia, 14 Feb. 2021, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicada.
“Cicadidae.” Wikipedia, 29 Mar. 2024, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicadidae. Accessed 12 May 2024.
John, Cooley. Brood XIII | Periodical Cicada Information Pages. 21 Feb. 2017, cicadas.uconn.edu/brood_13/. Accessed 12 May 2024.
John, Cooley. Brood XIX | Periodical Cicada Information Pages. 21 Feb. 2017, cicadas.uconn.edu/brood_19/. Accessed 12 May 2024.
Mozgai, Dan. Cicada Mania, 1996, www.cicadamania.com/.
“Periodical Cicadas | Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.” Naturalhistory.si.edu, naturalhistory.si.edu/education/teaching-resources/life-science/periodical-cicadas.