Magicicada
Encyclopedia
Magicicada is the genus of the 13- and 17-year periodical cicada
s of eastern North America
. They are sometimes called "17-year locusts", although cicadas belong to order Hemiptera
, while locusts are Orthoptera
.
Magicicada spp. spend most of their 13- and 17- year lives underground feeding on xylem fluids from the roots of deciduous forest trees on the eastern United States25. After 13 or 17 years, mature cicada nymphs emerge at any given locality, synchronously and in tremendous numbers. After such a prolonged developmental phase, the adults are active for about 4 to 6 weeks26. The males aggregate into chorus centers and attract females for mating. Within two months of the original emergence, the life cycle is complete, the eggs have been laid and the adult cicadas are gone for another 13 or 17 years.
(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 (0.94488188976378 to 1.3 in), depending on species, slightly smaller than 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 decim periodical cicadas
is said to resemble someone calling "weeeee-whoa" or "Pharaoh." The cassini
and decula periodic cicadas have songs that intersperse buzzing and ticking sounds.
Cicadas do not bite or sting. Like other Hemiptera, they have mouthparts for piercing and sucking sap from plants. The cicada's proboscis can also pierce human skin, which is painful if it occurs but in no other way harmful. They are not venomous, and there is no evidence that 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 some twig die-off or flagging may result if egg-laying is heavy.
Nearly 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 life cycles are so extremely 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 non-periodical species as annual cicada
s since some are seen every summer. The life cycles of most annual species range from two to ten years, although some could be longer.
The nymph
s of the periodical cicadas live underground, often at depths of 30 cm (0.984251968503937 ft) or more, feeding on the juices of plant roots. The nymphs of the periodical cicada undergo 5 instar stages in their development underground. The difference in the 13 and 17 year life cycle is the time it takes for the second instar to mature. While underground, the nymphs move deeper below ground feeding on larger roots27.
The nymphs emerge on a Spring evening when the soil temperature at about 20 cm (8 in) depth is above 17 °C (63 °F). In most years, this works out to late April or early May in far southern states, and late May to early June in the far northern states. Emerging nymphs climb to a suitable place on the nearby vegetation to complete their transformation into an adult cicada. They molt
one last time and then spend about six days in the leaves waiting for their exoskeleton
to harden completely. Just after this final molt, the teneral adults are white, but darken within an hour.
Adult periodical cicadas live only for a few weeks—by mid-July, all have disappeared. Their short adult life has 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 dB
. In addition to their "calling" or "congregating" song, males produce a distinctive courtship song when approaching an individual female.
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 approximately 20 eggs in each, for a total of 600 or more eggs. After about six to ten weeks, the eggs hatch and the newborn nymphs drop to the ground, where they burrow and begin another 13 or 17-year cycle.
(>370/m²). Their mass-emergence is a survival trait called predator satiation
: for the first week after emergence, the periodic cicadas are an easy prey for reptile
s, bird
s, squirrel
s, cat
s, and other small and large mammal
s. 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. It was hypothesized that the emergence period of large prime numbers (13 and 17 years) was a predatory avoidance strategy adopted to eliminate the possibility of potential predators receiving periodic population boosts by synchronizing their own generations to divisor
s of the cicada emergence period. A more parsimonious viewpoint holds that the prime numbered developmental times represent an adaptation to colder soil temperatures during Pleistocene glacial stadia, 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 bizarre insects. The length of the cycle appears to be controlled by a single gene locus, with the 13-year cycle dominant to the 17-year one.
, 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. Wild turkey
populations respond favorably to increased nutrition in their food supply from gorging on cicada adults on the ground at the end of their life cycle. Uneaten carcasses of periodic cicadas decompose on the ground, providing a resource pulse of nutrients to the forest community.
Cicada broods can also have a negative impact. Squirrel
populations have been decimated because the egg laying activity of female cicada damaged upcoming mast
crops.
Periodical cicadas are grouped into broods based on the calendar year when they emerge.
In 1907, entomologist C. L. Marlatt
assigned Roman numerals to 30 different broods of periodical cicadas: 17 distinct broods with a 17-year life cycle, 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, although today only 15 broods survive.
Four more species follow a 13-year cycle:
These seven species are also sometimes grouped differently into three subgroups, the so-called "-decim species," "-cassini species," and -decula species," reflecting strong similarities of each 17-year species with one or more species with a 13-year cycle.
Generally, the 17-year cicadas are distributed more in the northern states of the eastern United States
, while the 13-year cicadas occur in the southern states, but some may overlap, for example, brood IV (17 year cycle) and XIX (13 year cycle) in western Missouri. If this distribution holds, their emergence will coincide in—2219, 2440, 2661, etc., as it did in 1998 (although distributions change slightly from year to year and distribution maps can be unreliable, especially older maps.).
Cicada
A cicada is an insect of the order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha , in the superfamily Cicadoidea, with large eyes wide apart on the head and usually transparent, well-veined wings. There are about 2,500 species of cicada around the world, and many of them remain unclassified...
s of eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. They are sometimes called "17-year locusts", although cicadas belong to order Hemiptera
Hemiptera
Hemiptera is an order of insects most often known as the true bugs , comprising around 50,000–80,000 species of cicadas, aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, shield bugs, and others...
, while locusts are Orthoptera
Orthoptera
Orthoptera is an order of insects with paurometabolous or incomplete metamorphosis, including the grasshoppers, crickets and locusts.Many insects in this order produce sound by rubbing their wings against each other or their legs, the wings or legs containing rows of corrugated bumps...
.
Magicicada spp. spend most of their 13- and 17- year lives underground feeding on xylem fluids from the roots of deciduous forest trees on the eastern United States25. After 13 or 17 years, mature cicada nymphs emerge at any given locality, synchronously and in tremendous numbers. After such a prolonged developmental phase, the adults are active for about 4 to 6 weeks26. The males aggregate into chorus centers and attract females for mating. Within two months of the original emergence, the life cycle is complete, the eggs have been laid and the adult cicadas are gone for another 13 or 17 years.
Description
The familiar winged imagoImago
In biology, the imago is the last stage of development of an insect, after the last ecdysis of an incomplete metamorphosis, or after emergence from the pupa where the metamorphosis is complete...
(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 (0.94488188976378 to 1.3 in), depending on species, slightly smaller than 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 decim periodical cicadas
Decim periodical cicadas
Decim periodical cicadas is a term used to group three closely related species of periodical cicadas: Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada tredecim, and Magicicada neotredecim. M. septendecim, first described by Linnaeus, has a 17-year lifecycle; the name "septendecim" is Latin for 17. M...
is said to resemble someone calling "weeeee-whoa" or "Pharaoh." The cassini
Cassini periodical cicadas
The name Cassini periodical cicadas is used to group two closely related species of periodical cicadas: Magicicada cassini , and Magicicada tredecassini , a species essentially identical except for its 13-year lifecycle.The cassini males' courting...
and decula periodic cicadas have songs that intersperse buzzing and ticking sounds.
Cicadas do not bite or sting. Like other Hemiptera, they have mouthparts for piercing and sucking sap from plants. The cicada's proboscis can also pierce human skin, which is painful if it occurs but in no other way harmful. They are not venomous, and there is no evidence that 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 some twig die-off or flagging may result if egg-laying is heavy.
Life cycle
Annual cicada
Annual cicadas are Cicadidae species that appear every summer. The lifecycle of the so-called annual cicada typically spans 2 to 5 years; they are "annual" only in the sense that members of the species reappear annually...
s since some are seen every summer. The life cycles of most annual species range from two to ten years, although some could be longer.
The nymph
Nymph (biology)
In biology, a nymph is the immature form of some invertebrates, particularly insects, which undergoes gradual metamorphosis before reaching its adult stage. Unlike a typical larva, a nymph's overall form already resembles that of the adult. In addition, while a nymph moults it never enters a...
s of the periodical cicadas live underground, often at depths of 30 cm (0.984251968503937 ft) or more, feeding on the juices of plant roots. The nymphs of the periodical cicada undergo 5 instar stages in their development underground. The difference in the 13 and 17 year life cycle is the time it takes for the second instar to mature. While underground, the nymphs move deeper below ground feeding on larger roots27.
Ecdysis
Ecdysis is the moulting of the cuticula in many invertebrates. This process of moulting is the defining feature of the clade Ecdysozoa, comprising the arthropods, nematodes, velvet worms, horsehair worms, rotifers, tardigrades and Cephalorhyncha...
one last time and then spend about six days in the leaves waiting for their exoskeleton
Exoskeleton
An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...
to harden completely. Just after this final molt, the teneral adults are white, but darken within an hour.
Adult periodical cicadas live only for a few weeks—by mid-July, all have disappeared. Their short adult life has 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 dB
Decibel
The decibel is a logarithmic unit that indicates the ratio of a physical quantity relative to a specified or implied reference level. A ratio in decibels is ten times the logarithm to base 10 of the ratio of two power quantities...
. In addition to their "calling" or "congregating" song, males produce a distinctive courtship song when approaching an individual female.
Predator satiation survival strategy
The nymphs emerge in large numbers at about the same time, sometimes more than 1.5 million individuals per acreAcre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
(>370/m²). Their mass-emergence is a survival trait called predator satiation
Predator satiation
Predator satiation is an antipredator adaptation in which prey occur at high population densities, reducing the probability of an individual organism being eaten....
: for the first week after emergence, the periodic cicadas are an easy prey for reptile
Reptile
Reptiles are members of a class of air-breathing, ectothermic vertebrates which are characterized by laying shelled eggs , and having skin covered in scales and/or scutes. They are tetrapods, either having four limbs or being descended from four-limbed ancestors...
s, bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
s, squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s, cat
Cat
The cat , also known as the domestic cat or housecat to distinguish it from other felids and felines, is a small, usually furry, domesticated, carnivorous mammal that is valued by humans for its companionship and for its ability to hunt vermin and household pests...
s, and other small and large mammal
Mammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s. 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. It was hypothesized that the emergence period of large prime numbers (13 and 17 years) was a predatory avoidance strategy adopted to eliminate the possibility of potential predators receiving periodic population boosts by synchronizing their own generations to divisor
Divisor
In mathematics, a divisor of an integer n, also called a factor of n, is an integer which divides n without leaving a remainder.-Explanation:...
s of the cicada emergence period. A more parsimonious viewpoint holds that the prime numbered developmental times represent an adaptation to colder soil temperatures during Pleistocene glacial stadia, 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 bizarre insects. The length of the cycle appears to be controlled by a single gene locus, with the 13-year cycle dominant to the 17-year one.
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. MolesMole (animal)
Moles are small cylindrical mammals adapted to a subterranean lifestyle. They have velvety fur; tiny or invisible ears and eyes; and short, powerful limbs with large paws oriented for digging. The term is especially and most properly used for the true moles, those of the Talpidae family in the...
, 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. Wild turkey
Wild Turkey
The Wild Turkey is native to North America and is the heaviest member of the Galliformes. It is the same species as the domestic turkey, which derives from the South Mexican subspecies of wild turkey .Adult wild turkeys have long reddish-yellow to grayish-green...
populations respond favorably to increased nutrition in their food supply from gorging on cicada adults on the ground at the end of their life cycle. Uneaten carcasses of periodic cicadas decompose on the ground, providing a resource pulse of nutrients to the forest community.
Cicada broods can also have a negative impact. Squirrel
Eastern Gray Squirrel
The eastern gray squirrel is a tree squirrel in the genus Sciurus native to the eastern and midwestern United States, and to the southerly portions of the eastern provinces of Canada...
populations have been decimated because the egg laying activity of female cicada damaged upcoming mast
Mast (botany)
Mast is the "fruit of forest trees like acorns and other nuts". It is also defined as "the fruit of trees such as beech, and other forms of Cupuliferae". Alternatively, it can also refer to "a heap of nuts"....
crops.
Broods
In 1907, entomologist C. L. Marlatt
Charles Lester Marlatt
Charles Lester Marlatt was an American entomologist. Born in 1863 at Atchison, Kansas, he was educated at Kansas State Agricultural College , where he was assistant professor for two years...
assigned Roman numerals to 30 different broods of periodical cicadas: 17 distinct broods with a 17-year life cycle, 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, although today only 15 broods survive.
| Name | Nickname | Cycle (yrs) | Last emergence | Next emergence | Extent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 1995 | 2012 | Western VA Virginia The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there... , WV West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east... |
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| 17 | 1996 | 2013 | CT Connecticut Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately... , MD Maryland Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east... , NC North Carolina North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte... , NJ New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware... , NY New York New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east... , PA Pennsylvania The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to... , VA |
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| 17 | 1997 | 2014 | IA Iowa Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New... |
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| 17 | 1998 | 2015 | KS Kansas Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south... , MO Missouri Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It... , OK Oklahoma Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state... |
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| 17 | 1999 | 2016 | Northeast OH Ohio Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus... , MD, PA, VA, WV |
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| 17 | 2000 | 2017 | GA, NC, SC | ||
| 17 | 2001 | 2018 | Upstate NY1 | ||
| 17 | 2002 | 2019 | OH, PA, WV | ||
| 17 | 2003 | 2020 | Western VA, WV, NC | ||
| 17 | 2004 | 2021 | From NY to NC along the East Coast East Coast of the United States The East Coast of the United States, also known as the Eastern Seaboard, refers to the easternmost coastal states in the United States, which touch the Atlantic Ocean and stretch up to Canada. The term includes the U.S... , inland to IL Illinois Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,... and MI Michigan Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake".... 2 |
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| 17 | Last seen in 1954 in Ashford, CT along Fenton River | ||||
| 17 | 2007 | 2024 | Northern IL and in parts of IA, WI Wisconsin Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is... , and IN Indiana Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... 3 |
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| 17 | 2008 | 2025 | Southern OH, KY Kentucky The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth... , TN Tennessee Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area... , MA Massachusetts The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010... , MD, NC, PA, northern GA Georgia (U.S. state) Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788... , Western VA and WV, and parts of NY and NJ3 |
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| 13 | 2011 | 2024 | AL Alabama Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland... , AR Arkansas Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River... , GA, IN Indiana Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is... , IL, KY, LA Louisiana Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties... , MD, MO, MS Mississippi Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi... , NC, OK, SC South Carolina South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence... , TN, and VA4 |
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| 13 | Last recorded in 1870. Historical range included the FL panhandle | ||||
| 13 | 2001 | 2014 | LA, MS, OH, KY 5 | ||
| 13 | 2002 | 2015 | IA, IL, IN, WI | ||
| 1. Consists only of M. septendecim. 2. Largest of all 17-year periodical broods. 3. Premature emergences, or "straggling" occurred in 2003 and 2006. 4. Largest of all 13-year periodical cicada broods. 5. This 13-year brood does not include M. neotredecim. |
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Taxonomy
There are seven recognized species. Three species have a 17-year cycle:- Magicicada septendecimMagicicada septendecimMagicicada septendecim, sometimes called the Pharaoh cicada, is a species of periodical cicada with a 17-year life cycle, native to Canada and the United States...
(Linnaeus, 1758) - Magicicada septencassiniMagicicada cassiniMagicicada cassini, sometimes called the dwarf cicada is a species of periodical cicada endemic to the United States. It has a 17-year lifecycle but is otherwise indistinguishable from the 13-year periodical cicada Magicicada tredecassini...
(also called Magicicada cassini) (Fisher 1851) - Magicicada septendeculaMagicicada septendeculaMagicicada septendecula is a species of insect in family Cicadidae. It is endemic to the United States.-References:*World Conservation Monitoring Centre 1996. . Downloaded on 10 August 2007....
(Alexander and Moore, 1962)
Four more species follow a 13-year cycle:
- Magicicada neotredecimMagicicada neotredecimMagicicada neotredecim is the most recently discovered species of periodical cicada. Like all Magicicada species, M. neotredicim has reddish eyes and wing veins and a black dorsal thorax. It has a 13-year life cycle but seems to be most closely related to the 17-year species Magicicada septendecim...
(Marshall and Cooley, 2000) - Magicicada tredecimMagicicada tredecimMagicicada tredecim is a 13-year species of periodical cicada, closely related to the newly discovered 13-year species Magicicada neotredecim, from which it differs in its in male song pitch, female song pitch preferences, abdomen color, and mitochondrial DNA. Both M. tredecim and M. neotredecim...
(Walsh and Riley, 1868) - Magicicada tredecassiniMagicicada tredecassiniMagicicada tredecassini is a species of periodical cicada endemic to the United States. It has a 13-year lifecycle but is otherwise indistinguishable from the 17-year periodical cicada Magicicada cassini...
(Alexander and Moore, 1962) - Magicicada tredecula (Alexander and Moore, 1962)
These seven species are also sometimes grouped differently into three subgroups, the so-called "-decim species," "-cassini species," and -decula species," reflecting strong similarities of each 17-year species with one or more species with a 13-year cycle.
Generally, the 17-year cicadas are distributed more in the northern states of the eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, while the 13-year cicadas occur in the southern states, but some may overlap, for example, brood IV (17 year cycle) and XIX (13 year cycle) in western Missouri. If this distribution holds, their emergence will coincide in—2219, 2440, 2661, etc., as it did in 1998 (although distributions change slightly from year to year and distribution maps can be unreliable, especially older maps.).
Media
External links
- Massachusetts Cicadas describes behavior, sightings, photos, "how to find" guide, videos and distribution maps of New England and U.S. periodical and annual cicada species including Brood X, Brood XIII, Brood XIV and Brood XIX
- Magicicada.org Brood XIX mapping project – solicits records and observations from the general public
- Cicada Mania
- Comprehensive website with reprints, distribution records, databases, and maps at Cicada Central.
- Comprehensive web site University of Michigan
- Bibliography
- Link list
- Image gallery
- Roar of the Cicada
- InsectSingers.com Recordings of species-specific songs of many North American cicada species.
- magicicada.com The oddest recordings of North American cicada species