Cicada

For other uses, see .

Cicada Temporal range: Late Triassic–Recent Annual cicada, Calling song of Kingdom:Phylum:Class:Order:Infraorder:Superfamily: Latreille, 1802FamiliesThe cicadas ( or ) are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of in the order (true bugs). They are in the suborder , along with smaller jumping bugs such as and . The superfamily is divided into two families, , with two species in Australia, and , with more than 3,000 species from around the world; many species remain undescribed.

Cicadas have prominent eyes set wide apart, short antennae, and membranous front wings. They have an exceptionally loud song, produced in most species by the rapid buckling and unbuckling of drumlike . The earliest known fossil Cicadomorpha appeared in the period; extant species occur all around the world in temperate to tropical climates. They typically live in trees, feeding on watery sap from xylem tissue and laying their eggs in a slit in the bark. Most cicadas are . The vast majority of species are active during the day as adults, with some calling at dawn or dusk. Only a rare few species are known to be nocturnal.

The spend most of their lives as underground nymphs, emerging only after 13 or 17 years. The unusual duration and timing of their emergence may reduce the number of cicadas lost to predation, both by making them a less reliably available prey (so that any predator who evolved to depend on cicadas for sustenance might starve waiting for their emergence), and by emerging in such huge numbers that they will satiate any remaining predators before losing enough of their number to threaten their survival as a species.

The are species that emerge every year. Though these cicadas have lifecycles that can vary from one to nine or more years as underground larvae, their emergence above ground as adults is not synchronized, so some members of each species appear every year.

Cicadas have been featured in literature since the time of 's , and as motifs in art from the Chinese . They have also been used in myth and folklore as symbols of carefree living and immortality. The cicada is also mentioned in 's Shield (ll.393-394), its voice sings when millet first ripens. Cicadas are eaten by human beings in various countries, including China, where the nymphs are served deep-fried in .

Contents Etymology[] Look up in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.The name is directly from the cicada.

Taxonomy and diversity[] The superfamily Cicadoidea is a sister of the (the froghoppers). Cicadas are arranged into two families: the Tettigarctidae and Cicadidae. The two species of the Tettigarctidae include one in southern Australia and the other in . The family Cicadidae is subdivided into the subfamilies , (or Tettigadinae), , and ; they are found on all continents except Antarctica. Some previous works also included a family-level taxon called the . The largest species is the Malaysian emperor cicada ; its wingspan is up to about 20 cm (8 in). Cicadas are also notable for the great length of time some species take to mature.

A , Magicicada, , 1930At least 3000 cicada species are distributed worldwide with the majority being in the tropics. Most genera are restricted to a single biogeographical region and many species have a very limited range. This high degree of has been used to study the biogeography of complex island groups such as in Indonesia and the Orient. There are several hundred described species in Australia and , around 150 in South Africa, over 170 in America north of Mexico, at least 800 in Latin America, and over 200 in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific. About 100 species occur in the . A few species are found in southern Europe, and a single species was known from England, the , Cicadetta montana, which also occurs in continental Europe. Many species await formal description and many well-known species are yet to be studied carefully using modern acoustic analysis tools that allow their songs to be characterized.

Many of the North American species are the annual or jarfly or cicadas, members of the , , or genera, so named because they emerge in late July and August. The best-known North American genus, however, may be . These have an extremely long lifecycle of 13 or 17 years, with adults suddenly and briefly .

are found on tropical islands and cold coastal beaches around Tasmania, in tropical wetlands, high and low deserts, alpine areas of and , large cities including , , and , and Tasmanian highlands and snowfields. Many of them have common names such as cherry nose, brown baker, , greengrocer, yellow Monday, whisky drinker, , and black prince. The Australian greengrocer, , is among the loudest insects in the world.

, a species endemic to New ZealandForty-two species from five genera populate New Zealand, ranging from sea level to mountain tops, and all are to New Zealand and the surrounding islands (, ).

fossil fore wing of , AustraliaPalaeontology[] Fossil Cicadomorpha first appeared in the . The superfamily contains three families. The Upper Permian are found in Australia and South Africa, and also in younger rocks from China. The are found in Australia and South Africa. However, this group is currently thought to be more distantly related to Cicadomorpha than previously thought.

The giant cicada from Germany , about 150–145M years agoThe or "giant cicadas" come from the and of Eurasia and South America. The first of these was a fore wing discovered in the of Oxfordshire, England; it was initially described as a butterfly in 1873, before being recognised as a cicada like form and renamed .

Most fossil Cicadidae are known from the Cenozoic, and the oldest unambiguously identified specimen is Davispia bearcreekensis (subfamily Tibicininae) from 59-56 Ma. One fossil genus and species (Burmacicada protera) based on a first-instar nymph has recently been reported from 98-99M years ago in the Late Cretaceous, although questions remain about its assignment to the Cicadidae.

Biology[] Description[] A Japanese Minminzemi ()Cicadas are large insects made conspicuous by the courtship calls of the males. They are characterized by having three joints in their , and having small with conical bases and three to six segments, including a at the tip. The differ from other hemipterans by having a that arises from the posteroventral part of the head, complex sound-producing membranes, and a mechanism for linking the wings that involves a down-rolled edging on the rear of the fore wing and an upwardly protruding flap on the hindwing. Cicadas are feeble jumpers, and nymphs lack the ability to jump altogether. Another defining characteristic is the adaptations of the fore limbs of nymphs for underground life. The relict family Tettigarctidae differs from the Cicadidae in having the extending as far as the , and by lacking the tympanal apparatus.

The adult insect, known as an , is 2 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) in total length in most species, although the largest, the (Megapomponia imperatoria), has a head-body length around 7 cm (2.8 in), and its wingspan is 18–20 cm (7–8 in). Cicadas have prominent compound eyes set wide apart on the sides of the head. The short antennae protrude between the eyes or in front of them. They also have three small located on the top of the head in a triangle between the two large eyes; this distinguishes cicadas from other members of the Hemiptera. The mouthparts form a long, sharp that they insert into the plant to feed. The is a large, nose-like structure that lies between the eyes and makes up most of the front of the head; it contains the pumping musculature.

The thorax has three segments and houses the powerful wing muscles. They have two pairs of membranous wings that may be , cloudy, or pigmented. The wing venation varies between species and may help in identification. The middle thoracic segment has an on the underside, which may extend posteriorly and obscure parts of the abdomen. The abdomen is segmented, with the hindermost segments housing the reproductive organs, and terminates in females with a large, saw-edged . In males, the abdomen is largely hollow and used as a resonating chamber.

The surface of the fore wing is ; it is covered with minute, waxy cones, blunt spikes that create a water-repellent film. Rain rolls across the surface, removing dirt in the process. In the absence of rain, condenses on the wings. When the droplets coalesce, they leap several millimetres into the air, which also serves to clean the wings. landing on the wing surface are not repelled; rather, their membranes are torn apart by the nanoscale-sized spikes, making the wing surface the first-known that can kill bacteria.

Temperature regulation[] Desert cicadas such as are unusual among insects in controlling their temperature by , analogous to in mammals. When their temperature rises above about 39 °C, they suck excess sap from the food plants and extrude the excess water through pores in the at a modest cost in energy. Such a rapid loss of water can be sustained only by feeding on water-rich . At lower temperatures, feeding cicadas would normally need to excrete the excess water. By evaporative cooling, desert cicadas can reduce their bodily temperature by some 5 °C. Some non-desert cicada species such as Magicicada tredecem also cool themselves evaporatively, but less dramatically. Conversely, many other cicadas can voluntarily raise their body temperatures as much as 22 °C (40 °F) above ambient temperature.

Song[] Cicada sound-producing organs and musculature: a, Body of male from below, showing cover-plates; b, From above, showing drumlike ; c, Section, that vibrate tymbals; d, A tymbal at rest; e, Thrown into vibration, as when singingThe "singing" of male cicadas is produced principally and in the majority of species using a special structure called a , a pair of which lies below each side of the region. The structure is buckled by muscular action and being made of unbuckled rapidly on muscle relaxation and the rapid action of muscles produces their characteristic sounds. Some cicadas, however, have mechanisms for , sometimes in addition to the tymbals. Here, the wings are rubbed over a series of midthoracic ridges. The sounds may further be modulated by membranous coverings and by resonant cavities. The male abdomen in some species is largely hollow, and acts as a . By rapidly vibrating these membranes, a cicada combines the clicks into apparently continuous notes, and enlarged chambers derived from the serve as with which it amplifies the sound. The cicada also modulates the song by positioning its abdomen toward or away from the substrate. Partly by the pattern in which it combines the clicks, each species produces its own distinctive mating songs and acoustic signals, ensuring that the song attracts only appropriate mates.

Average temperature of the natural habitat for the South American species Fidicina rana is about 29 °C (84 °F). During sound production, the temperature of the tymbal muscles was found to be significantly higher. Many cicadas sing most actively during the hottest hours of a summer day; roughly a . Most cicadas are diurnal in their calling and depend on external heat to warm them up, while a few are capable of raising their temperatures using muscle action and some species are known to call at dusk. Kanakia gigas and Froggattoides typicus are among the few that are known to be truly nocturnal and there may be other nocturnal species living in tropical forests.

Cicadas call from varying heights on trees. Where multiple species occur, the species may use different heights and timing of calling. While the vast majority of cicadas call from above the ground, two Californian species, Okanagana pallidula and O. vanduzeei are known to call from hollows made at the base of the tree below the ground level. The adaptive significance is unclear as the calls are not amplified or modified by the burrow structure but it is thought that this may avoid predation.

Although only males produce the cicadas' distinctive sounds, both sexes have membranous structures called by which they detect sounds, the equivalent of having ears. Males disable their own tympana while calling, thereby preventing damage to their hearing; a necessity partly because some cicadas produce sounds up to 120 which is among the loudest of all insect-produced sounds. The song is loud enough to cause permanent in humans should the cicada be at "close range". In contrast, some small species have songs so high in pitch that they are inaudible to humans.

For the human ear, telling precisely where a cicada song originates is often difficult. The pitch is nearly constant, the sound is continuous to the human ear, and cicadas sing in scattered groups. In addition to the mating song, many species have a distinct distress call, usually a broken and erratic sound emitted by the insect when seized or panicked. Some species also have courtship songs, generally quieter, and produced after a female has been drawn to the calling song. Males also produce encounter calls, whether in courtship or to maintain personal space within choruses.

The song of cicadas is considered by entomologists to be unique to a given species, and a number of resources exist to collect and analyse cicada sounds.

Lifecycle[] In some species of cicada, the males remain in one location and call to attract females. Sometimes several males aggregate and call in chorus. In other species, the males move from place to place, usually with quieter calls while searching for females. The Tettigarctidae differ from other cicadas in producing vibrations in the rather than audible sounds. After mating, the female cuts slits into the bark of a twig where she deposits her eggs.

Newly emerged adult cicadaWhen the eggs hatch, the newly hatched drop to the ground and burrow. Cicadas live underground as nymphs for most of their lives at depths down to about 2.5 m (8 ft). Nymphs have strong front legs for digging and excavating chambers in close proximity to roots where they feed on sap. In the process, their bodies and interior of the burrow become coated in anal fluids. In wet habitats, larger species construct mud towers above ground to aerate their burrows. In the final nymphal , they construct an exit tunnel to the surface and emerge. They then (shed their skins) on a nearby plant for the last time, and emerge as adults. The or abandoned exoskeletons remain, still clinging to the bark of the tree.

Cicada Most cicadas go through a lifecycle that lasts from two to five years. Some species have much longer lifecycles, such as the North American genus, , which has a number of distinct "" that go through either a 17-year, or in some parts of the region, a 13-year lifecycle. The long lifecycles may have developed as a response to , such as the and . A specialist predator with a shorter life cycle of at least two years could not reliably prey upon the cicadas. An alternate hypothesis is that these long lifecycles evolved during the ice ages so as to overcome cold spells and that as species co-emerged and hybridized they left distinct species that did not hybridize having periods matching prime numbers.

Diet[] Cicada nymphs drink sap from the xylem of various species of trees, including , , , , and . While common folklore indicates that adults do not eat, they actually do drink plant sap using their sucking mouthparts.

Locomotion[] Further information: and Cicadas, unlike other , are not adapted for jumping (saltation). They have the usual insect modes of , walking and flight. However, they do not walk or run well, and take to the wing to travel distances greater than a few centimetres.

Predators, parasites and pathogens[] Eastern cicada killer wasp () with cicada prey, United StatesCicadas are commonly eaten by birds and sometimes by squirrels, as well as bats, wasps, , , and . In times of mass emergence of cicadas, various amphibians, fish, reptiles, mammals, and birds change their foraging habits so as to benefit from the glut. Newly hatched nymphs may be eaten by ants, and nymphs living underground are preyed on by burrowing mammals such as moles. In Australia, cicadas are preyed on by the Australian cicada killer wasp (), which stings and stuns cicadas high in the trees, making them drop to the ground, where the cicada-hunter mounts and carries them, pushing with its hind legs, sometimes over a distance of a 100 m, until they can be shoved down into its burrow, where the numb cicadas are placed onto one of many shelves in a "catacomb", to form the food-stock for the wasp grub that grows out of the egg deposited there. A katydid predator from Australia is capable of attracting singing male cicadas of a variety of species by imitating the timed click replies of sexually receptive female cicadas, which respond in pair-formation by flicking their wings.

Several fungal diseases infect and kill adult cicadas, while another , spp., attacks nymphs. specifically attacks the adults of periodical cicadas, the spores remaining dormant in the soil between outbreaks. This fungus is also capable of dosing cicadas with , the found in , as well as , an similar to various . These chemicals alter the behaviour of the cicadas, driving males to copulate, even with males, and is thought to be beneficial to the fungus as the fungal spores are dispersed by a larger number of infected carriers.

Antipredator adaptations[] Further information: and Cicada on an olive treeCicadas use a variety of strategies to evade predators. Large cicadas can fly rapidly to escape if disturbed. Many are extremely well to evade predators such as birds that hunt by sight. As well as being coloured like tree bark, they are to break up their outlines; their partly transparent wings are held over the body and pressed close to the substrate. Some cicada species when threatened.

The (Magicicada) make use of : they emerge, all at once, at long intervals of 13 or 17 years; their juveniles are probably the longest-lived of all insect development stages. Since the cicadas in any given area exceeds the number predators can eat, all available predators are sated, and the remaining cicadas can breed in peace.

The day-flying cicada warns off predators with its red and black coloration, Southeast Asia.Some cicadas such as display bright flash coloration on their hind wings when threatened; the sudden contrast helps to startle predators, giving the cicadas time to escape. The majority of cicadas are and rely on camouflage when at rest, but some species use -related , wearing the bright colors that warn of toxicity in other animals; the Malaysian has conspicuous red and black warning coloration, is diurnal, and boldly flies about in full view of possible predators.

Camouflaged Cicada on a raintreePredators such as the fly hunt cicadas by sound, being attracted to their songs. Singing males soften their song so that the attention of the listener gets distracted to neighbouring louder singers, or cease singing altogether as a predator approaches. A loud cicada song, especially in chorus, has been asserted to repel predators, but observations of predator responses refute the claim.

In human culture[] Further information: In art and literature[] Silver casket with writing utensils, made by the goldsmith (1507/08–1585): a silver cicada is at lower left. Japanese bottle in the form of a cicada, circa 1900Cicadas have been featured in literature since the time of Homer's Iliad, and as motifs in decorative art from the Chinese Shang dynasty (1766–1122 BC.). They are described by in his and by in his ; their mechanism of sound production is mentioned by in his poem "": "when the Skolymus flowers, and the tuneful Tettix sitting on his tree in the weary summer season pours forth from under his wings his shrill song". In the classic 14th-century Chinese novel , took her name from the sable (diāo) tails and jade decorations in the shape of cicadas (chán), which adorned the hats of high-level officials. In the Japanese novel , the title character poetically likens one of his many love interests to a cicada for the way she delicately sheds her robe the way a cicada sheds its shell when molting. A cicada exuvia plays a role in the . Cicadas are a frequent subject of , where, depending on type, they can indicate spring, summer, or autumn. 's illustrated book Cicada tells the story of a hardworking but underappreciated cicada working in an office.

In music[] Cicadas are featured in the well-known protest song "Como La Cigarra" ("Like the Cicada") written by Argentinian poet and composer . In the song, the cicada is a symbol of survival and defiance against death. The song was famously recorded by , among other Latin American musicians. Another well-known song, "La Cigarra" ("The Cicada"), written by , is a song in the tradition that romanticises the insect as a creature that sings until it dies.

The Brazilian artist with his track "Malvadeza" from the album "Chão" creates a song built upon the sound of the cicada that can be heard along the track.

In mythology and folklore[] Main article: Cicadas have been used as money, in folk medicine, to forecast the weather, to provide song (in China), and in folklore and myths around the world. In France, the cicada represents the of and the Mediterranean cities.

The cicada has represented since . began his collection of fables Les fables de La Fontaine with the story "La Cigale et la Fourmi" ("The Cicada and the Ant") based on one of 's fables; in it, the cicada spends the summer singing, while the ant stores away food, and finds herself without food when the weather turns bitter.

The cicada symbolises rebirth and immortality in Chinese tradition. In the Chinese essay "", the phrase "to shed the golden cicada skin" (: 金蝉脱壳; : 金蟬脫殼; : jīnchán tuōqiào) is the poetic name for using a decoy (leaving the exuvia) to fool enemies. In the Chinese classic novel (16th century), the protagonist Priest of Tang was named the Golden Cicada.

In Japan, the cicada is associated with the summer season. For many Japanese people, summer hasn't officially begun until the first songs of the cicada are heard. According to , the song of , called tsuku-tsuku boshi, is said to indicate the end of summer, and it is called so because of its particular call.

In the , the goddess retells the legend of how , the goddess of the dawn, requested to let her lover live forever as an . Zeus granted her request, but because Eos forgot to ask him to also make Tithonus ageless, Tithonus never died, but he did grow old. Eventually, he became so tiny and shriveled that he turned into the first cicada. The Greeks also used a cicada sitting on a harp as an emblem of music.

In Kapampangan mythology in the , the goddess of dusk, Sisilim, is said to be greeted by the sounds and appearances of cicadas whenever she appears.

Deep-fried Cryptotympana atrata in As food and folk medicine[] Cicadas were eaten in , and are consumed today in , both as adults and (more often) as nymphs. Cicadas are also eaten in , , North America, and central Africa, as well as the region of , especially in Ziarat. Female cicadas are prized for being meatier. Shells of cicadas are employed in . The 17-year "Onondaga Brood" Magicicada is culturally important and a particular delicacy to the .

As pests[] Cicadas feed on ; they do not or in a true sense, but may occasionally mistake a person's arm for a plant limb and attempt to feed. Male cicadas produce very loud calls that can damage human hearing.

Cicadas are not major agricultural pests, but in some outbreak years, trees may be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of females laying their eggs in the shoots. Small trees may wilt and larger trees may lose small branches. Although in general, the feeding activities of the nymphs do little damage, during the year before an outbreak of periodic cicadas, the large nymphs feed heavily and plant growth may suffer. Some species have turned from wild grasses to , which affects the crop adversely, and in a few isolated cases, females have oviposited on food crops such as , vines, trees, , and .

Cicadas sometimes cause damage to amenity shrubs and trees, mainly in the form of scarring left on tree branches where the females have laid their eggs. Branches of young trees may die as a result.

See also[] Notes[] References[] Further reading[] External links[] Wikimedia Commons has media related to . has information related to Look up in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.Extant families Suborder (froghoppers) (cicadas) (planthoppers)Suborder (aphids) (scale insects)Suborder (with ) (semiaquatic bugs) (water treaders) (true water bugs) (shield bugs)Note: are a different from . Heteroptera with Coleorrhyncha were referred to as .Aspects of in cultureIn the artsIn fishing (as food)AdultsLarvaeOther aspectsProductsOther insectsCrop pestsLivestock pestsBiting/stingingOther pestsPioneersConcernsRelated Categories, templatesMain articlesPoultry LivestockGameFishShellfish and other seafoodCuts and preparationList articlesRelated subjects[//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1]Retrieved from "": Hidden categories: They're Back: Millions Of Cicadas Expected To Emerge This Year ...

They're Back: Millions Of Cicadas Expected To Emerge This Year ...

Periodical cicadaPinned Magicicada tredecassini male from Brood XIX, 2011A Magicicada chorus with M. septendecim, M. cassinii, and M. septendeculaKingdom:Phylum:Class:Order:Suborder:Infraorder:Superfamily:Family:Subfamily:Genus:Magicicada , 1925 (, )Magicicada is the genus of the 13-year and 17-year periodical cicadas of eastern . Although they are sometimes called "", this is a misnomer, as belong to the taxonomic order (true bugs), suborder , while locusts are grasshoppers belonging to the order . Magicicada belongs to the cicada tribe Lamotialnini, a group of genera with representatives in Australia, Africa, and Asia, as well as the Americas.

Magicicada species spend almost the full length of their long lives underground feeding on fluids from the roots of forest trees in the eastern United States. In the spring of their 13th or 17th year, mature cicada emerge in the springtime at any given locality, synchronously and in tremendous numbers. After the prolonged developmental phase, the adults are active for only about 4 to 6 weeks. The males aggregate into chorus centers and attract mates. Mated females lay eggs in the stems of woody plants. Within two months of the original emergence, the lifecycle is complete and the adult cicadas disappear for another 13 or 17 years.

Contents Description[] The winged (adult) periodical cicada has red eyes and a black dorsal thorax. The wings are translucent and have orange veins. The underside of the abdomen may be black, orange, or striped with orange and black, depending on the species.

Adults are typically 2.4 to 3.3 cm (0.9 to 1.3 in), depending on species, slightly smaller than most of the annual cicada species found in the same regions of the United States. Mature females are slightly larger than males.

Magicicada males typically form large aggregations that sing in chorus to attract receptive females. Different species have different characteristic calling songs. The call of is said to resemble someone calling "weeeee-whoa" or "Pharaoh". The and decula periodic cicadas (including M. tredecula) have songs that intersperse buzzing and ticking sounds.

Cicadas do not sting and do not normally bite. Like other bugs, they have mouthparts used in piercing plants and sucking their sap. A cicada's proboscis can pierce human skin when it is handled, which is painful, but in no other way harmful. These cicadas are not venomous, and no evidence shows they transmit diseases. They pose little threat to mature vegetation, although planting new trees or shrubs is best postponed until after an expected emergence of the periodical cicadas. Mature plants rarely suffer lasting damage, although twig die-off or flagging can result from egg-laying. Young trees or shrubs can be covered with cheesecloth or a similar material to prevent damage during the oviposition period, which begins about a week after the first adults emerge and lasts until the females have died.

Lifecycle[] Transformation of the periodical cicada from the mature to the adultNearly all cicadas spend years underground as juveniles, before emerging above ground for a short adult stage of several weeks to a few months. The seven periodical cicada species are so named because, in any one location, all of the members of the population are developmentally synchronized—they emerge as adults all at once in the same year. This periodicity is especially remarkable because their lifecycles are so long—13 or 17 years. Cicadas of all other species (perhaps 3000 worldwide) are not synchronized, so some adults mature each summer and emerge while the rest of the population continues to develop underground. Many people refer to these nonperiodical species as since some are seen every summer. The few known lifecycles of annual species range from two to 10 years, although some could be longer.

The nymphs of the periodical cicadas live underground, usually within 2 ft (61 cm) of the surface, feeding on the juices of plant roots. The nymphs of the periodical cicada undergo five stages in their development underground. It has been suggested that the difference in the 13- and 17-year lifecycle is the time it takes for the second instar to mature. While underground, the nymphs move deeper below ground, feeding on larger roots.

Magicicada moltingThe nymphs emerge on a spring evening when the soil temperature at about 20 cm (8 in) depth is above 17.9 (64 ). In most years in the United States, this works out to late April or early May in the far south, and late May to early June in the far north. Emerging nymphs climb to a suitable place on the nearby vegetation to complete their transformation into adults. They one last time and then spend about six days in the trees waiting for their to harden completely. Just after this final molt, the teneral adults are white, but darken within an hour.

Magicicada in final molting stage prior to hardening of exoskeletonAdult periodical cicadas live only for a few weeks; by mid-July, all have disappeared. Their short adult lives have one purpose: reproduction. The males "sing" a species-specific mating song; like other cicadas, they produce loud sounds using their tymbals. Singing males of a single Magicicada species form aggregations (choruses) that are sexually attractive to females. Males in these choruses alternate bouts of singing with short flights from tree to tree in search of receptive females. Most matings occur in "chorus" trees.

Receptive females respond to the calls of conspecific males with timed wing-flicks, which attract the males for mating. The sounds of a "chorus"—a group of males—can be deafening and reach 100 . In addition to their "calling" or "congregating" song, males produce a distinctive courtship song when approaching an individual female.

Magicicada egg slits (circled in red)Both males and females can mate multiple times, although most females seem to mate just once. After mating, the female cuts V-shaped slits in the bark of young twigs and lays about 20 eggs in each, for a total of 600 or more eggs. After about six to 10 weeks, the eggs hatch and the newborn nymphs drop to the ground, where they burrow and begin another 13- or 17-year cycle.

Predator satiation survival strategy[] Further information: Emergence holesThe nymphs emerge in large numbers about the same time, sometimes more than 1.5 million individuals per (>370/m²). Their mass emergence is a survival trait called : for the first week after emergence, the periodical cicadas are an easy prey for , , , , and other small and large . Early ideas maintained that the cicadas' overall survival mechanism was simply to overwhelm predators by their sheer numbers, ensuring the survival of most of the individuals. The emergence period of large (13 and 17 years) was hypothesized to be a predator avoidance strategy adopted to eliminate the possibility of potential predators receiving periodic population boosts by synchronizing their own generations to of the cicada emergence period. Another viewpoint holds that the prime-numbered developmental times represent an adaptation to prevent hybridization between broods with different cycles during a period of heavy selection pressure brought on by isolated and lowered populations during , and that predator satiation is a short-term maintenance strategy. This hypothesis was subsequently supported through a series of mathematical models, and stands as the most widely accepted explanation of the unusually lengthy and mathematically precise immature period of these insects. The length of the cycle was hypothesized to be controlled by a single gene locus, with the 13-year cycle dominant to the 17-year one, but this interpretation remains controversial and unexplored at the DNA level.

Impact on other populations[] Cycles in cicada populations are significant enough to affect other animal and plant populations. For example, tree growth has been observed to decline the year before the emergence of a brood, because of the increased feeding on roots by nymphs. , which feed on nymphs, have been observed to do well during the year before an emergence, but suffer population declines the following year, because of the reduced food source. populations respond favorably to increased nutrition in their food supply from gorging on cicada adults on the ground at the end of their lifecycles. Uneaten carcasses of periodic cicadas decompose on the ground, providing a resource pulse of nutrients to the forest community.

Cicada broods may also have a negative impact. populations have been negatively affected, because the egg-laying activity of female cicadas damaged upcoming crops.

Broods[] Mass of Magicicada (teneral adults and cast exoskeletons) on vegetation Magicicada septendecim female ovipositing Cicada nymph prior to final molt Newly molted brood XIII cicadaPeriodical cicadas are grouped into geographic based on the calendar year when they emerge. For example, in 2014, the 13-year brood XXII emerged in Louisiana and the 17-year brood III emerged in western Illinois and eastern Iowa.

In 1898, assigned Roman numerals to 30 different broods of periodical cicadas: 17 distinct broods with a 17-year lifecycle, to which he assigned brood numbers I through XVII (with emerging years 1893 through 1909); plus 13 broods with a 13-year cycle, to which he assigned brood numbers XVIII through XXX (1893 through 1905).

Many of these hypothetical 30 broods, however, have not been observed. Furthermore, two of the brood numbers assigned by Marlatt (broods XI and XXI) existed at one time, but have become extinct. The Marlatt numbering scheme has been retained for convenience (and because it clearly separates 13- and 17-year lifecycles), although today only 15 broods are known to survive.

NameNicknameCycle (yrs)Last emergenceNext emergenceExtentBlue Ridge brood1720122029Western Virginia, West VirginiaEast Coast brood 1720132030Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, District of ColumbiaIowan brood1720142031IowaKansan brood1720152032Eastern Nebraska, southeastern Iowa, eastern Kansas, western Missouri, Oklahoma, north Texas1720162033Eastern Ohio, Western Maryland, Southwestern Pennsylvania, Northwestern Virginia, West Virginia, New York (Suffolk County)1720172034Northern Georgia, western North Carolina, northwestern South CarolinaOnondaga brood1720182035Central New York (Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, Ontario, Yates counties)1720192036Eastern Ohio, western Pennsylvania, northern West Virginia1720032020 southwestern Virginia, southern West Virginia, western North CarolinaGreat eastern brood1720042021New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, District of Columbia, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan171954ExtinctLast seen in 1954 in , Connecticut along the Fenton RiverNorthern Illinois brood17 20072024Northern Illinois and in parts of Iowa, Wisconsin, and Indiana1720082025Southern Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, northern Georgia, Southwestern Virginia and West Virginia, and parts of New York and New JerseyGreat Southern Brood1320112024Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, and VirginiaFloridian Brood131870ExtinctLast recorded in 1870, historical range included the Florida panhandleBaton Rouge brood1320142027Louisiana, MississippiLower Mississippi River Valley brood1320152028Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, TennesseeMap of brood locations[] USDA Forest Service map of periodical cicada brood locations and timing of next emergenceTaxonomy[] Seven recognized species are placed within Magicicada.

PeriodImageScientific nameCommon NameDistribution17-year cycle (, 1758)17-year locust, Pharaoh cicadaCanada and the United States (Fisher, 1852)17-year cicada, dwarf periodical cicadaUnited States Alexander & Moore, 1962United States.13-year cycle Marshall & Cooley, 2000United States. (Walsh & Riley, 1868)southeastern United States Alexander & Moore, 1962United States. Alexander & Moore, 1962United States.These seven species are also sometimes grouped differently into three subgroups, the so-called Decim species group, Cassini species group, and Decula species group, reflecting strong similarities of each 17-year species with one or more species with a 13-year cycle.

Note that while the original and correct spelling for Fisher's 17-year species is cassinii, with two 'i's, a large majority of publications have spelled the name cassini since the mid-1960s. However, the original spelling has been maintained throughout by taxonomic catalogues, and the rules of nomenclature support the priority of cassinii (Article 33.4). The correct spelling for the 13-year relative is tredecassini.

Distribution[] The 17-year periodical cicadas are distributed across the eastern, upper midwestern, and Great Plains states within the U.S., while the 13-year cicadas occur in the southern and Mississippi Valley states, but some may overlap slightly. For example, Broods IV (17-year cycle) and XIX (13-year cycle) overlap in western Missouri and eastern Oklahoma. Their emergences should again coincide in 2219, 2440, 2661, etc., as they did in 1998 (although distributions change slightly from generation to generation and older distribution maps can be unreliable.). An effort is currently underway to generate new distribution maps of all periodical cicada broods. This effort makes use of crowdsourced records and records collected by entomologists.

Evolution[] Not only are the periodical cicada lifecycles curious for their prime numbers 13 or 17, but also their evolution is intricately tied to one- and four-year changes in their lifecycles. One-year changes are less common than four-year changes and are probably tied to variation in local climatic conditions. Four-year early and late emergences are common and involve a much larger proportion of the population than one-year changes.

Recent research suggests, in extant periodical cicadas, the 13- and 17-year lifecycles evolved at least eight different times in the last 4 million years and that different species with identical lifecycles developed their overlapping geographic distribution by synchronization of lifecycle to existing dominant populations. The same study estimates that the Decim species group split from the common ancestor of the Decula plus Cassini species groups around 4 million years ago (Mya). At around 2.5 Mya, the Cassini and Decula groups split from each other.

The Sota et al. (2013) paper also calculates that the first separation of extant 13-year cicadas from 17-year cicadas took place in the Decim group about 530,000 years ago when the southern M. tredecim split from the northern M. septendecim. The second noteworthy event took place about 320,000 years ago with the split of the western Cassini group from its conspecifics to the east. The Decim and the Decula clades experienced similar western splits, but these are estimated to have taken place 270,000 and 230,000 years ago, respectively. The 13- and 17-year splits in Cassini and Decula took place after these events.

The 17-year cicadas largely occupy formerly glaciated territory, and as a result their phylogeographic relationships reflect the effects of repeated contraction into glacial refugia (small islands of suitable habitat) and subsequent re-expansion during multiple interglacial periods. In each species group, Decim, Cassini, and Decula, the signature of the glacial periods is manifested today in three phylogeographic genetic subdivisions: one subgroup east of the Appalachians, one midwestern, and one on the far western edge of their range.

The Sota et al. data suggest that the founders of the southern 13-year cicada populations seen today originated from the Decim group. These were later joined by Cassini originating from the western Cassini clade and Decula originating from eastern, middle, and western Decula clades. As Cassini and Decula invaded the south, they became synchronized with the resident M. tredecim. Today, these Cassini and Decula are known as M. tredecassini and M. tredecula. More data is needed to lend support to this hypothesis and others hypotheses related to more recent 13- and 17-year splits involving M. neotredecim and M. tredecim.

Symbiosis[] Magicicada species harbour bacterial that provide essential vitamins and nutrients for growth. These bacteria live inside the cicada, and grow and divide for years before punctuated cicada reproduction events impose on these bacteria to maintain a mutually beneficial relationship. As a result, the genome of has fractionated into three independent bacterial species each containing only a subset of genes essential for this symbiosis. The host now requires all three sub-groups of symbiont, as only the complete complement of all three sub-groups provides the host with all its essential nutrients. The Hodgkinia-Magicicada symbiosis is a powerful example of how bacterial drive the evolution of their hosts.

History[] Historical accounts cite reports of 15- to 17-year recurrences of enormous numbers of noisy emergent cicadas ("locusts") written as early as 1733. , a naturalist visiting and in 1749 on behalf of his nation's government, observed in late May one such emergence. When reporting the event in a Swedish academic journal in 1756, Kalm wrote:

> The general opinion is that these insects appear in these fantastic numbers in every seventeenth year. Meanwhile, except for an occasional one which may appear in the summer, they remain underground. There is considerable evidence that these insects appear every seventeenth year in Pennsylvania.

Kalm then described documents (including one from ) that had recorded the emergence from the ground of large numbers of cicadas in Pennsylvania in May 1715 and May 1732. He noted that the people who had prepared these documents had made no such reports in other years. Kalm further noted that others had seen cicadas only occasionally before the large swarms of 1749. He stated that he had not heard any cicadas in Pennsylvania and New Jersey in 1750 in the same months and areas in which he had heard many in 1749.

Kalm summarized his findings in a paper translated into English in 1771, stating:

> There are a kind of Locusts which about every seventeen years come hither in incredible numbers ... In the interval between the years when they are so numerous, they are only seen or heard single in the woods.

Based on Kalm's account and a specimen that Kalm had provided, in 1758 named the insect Cicada in the .

In 1766, Moses Bartram described in his Observations on the cicada, or locust of America, which appears periodically once in 16 or 17 years the next appearance of the brood that Kalm had observed in 1749. Bartram noted that upon hatching from eggs deposited in the twigs of trees, the young insects ran down to the earth and "entered the first opening that they could find". He reported that he had been able to discover them 10 feet (3 m) below the surface, but that others had reportedly found them 30 feet (9 m) deep.

In 1775, recorded in his "Garden Book" the insect's 17-year periodicity, writing that an acquaintance remembered "great locust years" in 1724 and 1741, that he and others recalled another such year in 1754 and that the insects had again emerged from the ground at in 1775. He noted that the females lay their eggs in the small twigs of trees while above ground.

In 1777 (and again in 1998) in the St. Louis region, separate 13-year and 17-year broods emerge together.

In April 1800, , who lived near , Maryland, wrote in his record book that he recalled a "great locust year" in 1749, a second in 1766 during which the insects appeared to be "full as numerous as the first", and a third in 1783. He predicted that the insects "may be expected again in the year 1800, which is seventeen years since their third appearance to me".

Use as human food[] Magicicada species are edible when cooked. They have historically been eaten by , who roasted them in hot ovens, stirring them until they were well browned.

Charles Lester Marlatt wrote in 1907:

> The use of the newly emerged and succulent cicadas as an article of human diet has merely a theoretical interest, because, if for no other reason, they occur too rarely to have any real value. There is also the much stronger objection in the instinctive repugnance which all insects seem to inspire as an article of food to most civilized nations. Theoretically, the Cicada, collected at the proper time and suitably dressed and served, should be a rather attractive food. The larvae have lived solely on vegetable matter of the cleanest and most whole-some sort, and supposedly, therefore, would be much more palatable and suitable for food than the oyster, with its scavenger habit of living in the muddy ooze of river bottoms, or many other animals which are highly prized and which have not half so clean a record as the periodical Cicada.

References[] External links[] Wikimedia Commons has media related to . has information related to [//en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:CentralAutoLogin/start?type=1x1] Retrieved from "": Hidden categories: Millions of cicadas are expected to emerge after 17 years ...

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In May, where are are now, cicadas has emerged in NC, VA & WV. Periodical cicadas from other broods have emerged early, like (1 year early, so far in Tennessee & around Washington DC), (4 years early, AL, AR, GA, IL, IN, KS, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, VA), (4 years early, so far around Chicago) will also emerge in limited numbers.

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Molting Magicicada septendecim (left), molted Neotibicen tibicen (right).

An illustration of cicada tymbals from C.L. Marlatt's The Periodical Cicada. c shows the muscles and tendons connected to the tymbals, and d & e show the bending of the tymbal.

Cicadas (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadidae) are insects, best known for the songs sung by most, but not all, male cicadas. Males sing by flexing their tymbals, which are drum-like organs found in their abdomens. Small muscles rapidly pull the tymbals in and out of shape. The sound is intensified by the cicada's mostly hollow abdomen. Female and some male cicadas will also make a sound by flicking their wings, but it isn't the same as the sound for which cicadas are known. .

A Magicicada drinking from a tree. Photo by Roy Troutman.

Cicadas belong to the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha, superfamily Cicadoidea and families Cicadidae (the vast majority of cicadas) or Tettigarctidae (only two species). There are five subfamilies of Cicadidae: Derotettiginae, Tibicininae, Tettigomyiinae, Cicadettinae and Cicadinae. Leafhoppers, spittle bugs and jumping plant lice are close relatives of the cicada. Hemiptera are different from other insects in that both the nymph and adult forms have a beak (aka rostrum), which they use to suck fluids called xylem from plants. This is how they both eat and drink.

The Latin root for the word for cicada is cicada. Cicadas are called semi in Japan, cigale in France, and cigarra in Spain. .

Life Cycle Cicadas begin life as a rice-shaped egg, which the female deposits in a groove she makes in a tree limb, using her ovipositor. The groove provides shelter and exposes the tree fluids, which the young cicadas feed on. These grooves can kill small branches. When the branches die and leaves turn brown, it is called flagging.

Once the cicada hatches from the egg it will begin to feed on the tree fluids. At this point, it looks like a termite or small white ant. Once the young cicada is ready, it crawls from the groove and falls to the ground where it will dig until it finds roots to feed on. It will typically start with smaller grass roots and work its way up to the roots of its host tree. The cicada will stay underground from 2 to 17 years depending on the species. Cicadas are active underground, tunneling and feeding, and not sleeping or hibernating as commonly thought.

After the long 2 to 17 years, cicadas emerge from the ground as nymphs. Nymphs climb the nearest available tree, and begin to shed their nymph exoskeleton. Free of their old skin, their wings will inflate with fluid and their adult skin will harden. Once their new wings and body are ready, they can begin their brief adult life.

Adult cicadas, also called imagoes, spend their time in trees looking for a mate. Males sing, females respond, mating begins, and the cycle of life begins again.

Top, Left to Right: cicada egg, freshly hatched nymph, 2nd and 3rd instar nymphs. Bottom, Left to Right: 4th instar nymph, teneral adult, adult. (Photos by Roy Troutman and Elias Bonaros).

Different Types of Life Cycles There are three types of cicada life cycles:

How Many Cicadas Are There? There are over 190 varieties (including species & subspecies) of cicadas in North America, and over 3,390 varieties of cicadas around the world. This number grows each year as researchers discover and document new species. Cicadas exist on every continent but Antarctica.

The Largest Cicada: The world's largest species of cicada is the , which is native to Malaysia. The largest species in North America is , aka the Northern Dusk Singing Cicada. Other notably large cicadas include the Bear Cicada of Japan (Cryptotympana facialis), and of south-east Asia.

The Loudest Cicadas: The world's loudest cicada is the Brevisana brevis, a cicada found in Africa that reaches 106.7 decibels when recorded at a distance of 50cm (~20"), according to researcher John Petti.

The Megatibicen pronotalis walkeri (formerly known as Tibicen walkeri) is the loudest cicada in North America and can achieve 105.9 decibels, measured at 50cm.

That said, Australian species of cicadas, like the Double Drummer (Thopa saccata) are said to approach 120 (deafening) decibels at close range. It is unknown how many decibels Thopa saccata can create at 50cm.

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Longest Lifecycle: The most well-known cicadas in North America are the Magicicada periodical cicadas, aka "locusts", which have amazingly long 17 or 13 year lifecycles. Brood VIII (17-year life cycle) will emerge in Ohio and Pennsylvania in 2019. Magicicada have been documented to emerge after 22 years. Read more:

The cicada information on Cicada Mania is not limited to . We have some cicada photos and information for , , , , and thanks to contributors around the world.

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