Category: Eye Color

How rare are Magicicada cicadas with white or blue eyes?

Post author By Dan
Post date June 19, 2024

White eyed male Magicicada septendecim Metuchen NJ 2

How rare are Magicicadas cicadas with white or blue eyes?
Do we include yellowish-white/cream-colored eyes? Gray eyes?

“One in a million!”
“One in 100,000?”
“One in 1000”?

Let’s look at some data. Since its beginning, as of June 19th, 2024, iNaturalist has had 27,294 Research Grade Magicicada sightings, and 136 Research Grade “Magicicada eye color=blue/white” cicadas. So, in the iNaturalist data set, one in 201 Magicicada have white or blue eyes.

The number of white/blue eyed Magicicada is without a doubt more than one in 201, but not one in a million. Personally, I’ve found at least one cicada with white or blue eyes per emergence. My guess is the number is closer to one in 10,000.

But don’t tell anyone who is excited about a one in a million find. Let them have their fun and happiness. 🙂

Core Arboretum – Brood V Magicicada from Morgantown, WV (2016), gallery #2

Post author By Dan
Post date October 18, 2023

This is a gallery of Magicicadas taken at West Virginia University’s Core Arboretum from the 2013 Brood V emergence.

Click/tap the images for larger versions.

Visit Gallery #1 from more photos From the Core Arboretum, Morgantown, and Brood V.

Magicicada cassini on tree plague:

Magicicada exit chimney:

Magicicada septendecim abdomen:

Magicicada septendecim:

Magicicada with beige eyes:

Magicicada with damaged wings and beige eyes:

Magicicada with slightly orange markings on abdomen could be ‘decula or cassini:

Magicicada with white eyes:

Male Magicicada septendecim abdomen:

Many Magicicada exuvia and corpses:

Visit Gallery #1 from more photos From the Core Arboretum, Morgantown, and Brood V.

Brood X Eye Color Magicicada Mating

Brood X 2021 Princeton, New Jersey

Post author By Dan
Post date June 9, 2021

The Princeton Battlefield (historical location of one of George Washington’s battles) has always been a great place to find Brood X periodical cicadas.

Here are a few photos I took last weekend:

A female Magicicada septendecim with white eyes & costal wing margin mating:
Magicicada with white eyes mating

A female Magicicada septendecim with white eyes & costal wing margin:
Magicicada septendecim female with white eyes

Magicicada with beige eyes:

Many, many exit holes:
Loads of holes

Triple exit holes in mud (kinda looks like a skull):

Egg nests carved into branches by the cicadas ovipositor:

Tags M. septendecim

Brood II Eye Color Magicicada Photos & Illustrations

White eyes – Brood II Magicicada from Metuchen, New Jersey (2013)

Post author By Dan
Post date March 29, 2020

These are photos of a Magicicada septendecim with yellow-white eyes, which is rare, but you can usually find one or two if you spend enough time looking for them. The photos were taken during the 2013 Brood II emergence in Metuchen, NJ.

Yellow-White Eyed Male Magicicada septendecim Metuchen NJ

Yellow-White eyed Male Magicicada septendecim Metuchen NJ 2

White eyed male Magicicada septendecim Metuchen NJ

White eyed male Magicicada septendecim Metuchen NJ 2

Tags M. septendecim

Brood V Eye Color Magicicada Matt Berger Photos & Illustrations

Photos of Brood V cicadas in West Virginia by Matt Berger

Post author By Dan
Post date March 28, 2020

Photos of Brood V Magicicada in West Virginia by Matt Berger (Instagram), including many examples of Magicicadas with a variety of eye colors (the typical color is red).

Brood V emerged in West Virginia (and Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia and Long Island, NY) in 2016. It will next emerge in 2033.

These photos are BIG. Click/tap the thumbnail for larger versions.

A Variety of Eye Colors:

Teneral Periodical Cicada:

Teneral Cicada Up Close:

Molting Cicada by Matt Berger:

Gray Eyed Cicada by Matt Berger:

Cicada that sclerotized before it got out of its skin:

Cicada Fungus Infection by Matt Berger:

Matt has contributed photos to cicadamania.com for many years. In 2016 he was a post-grad student at West Virginia University. The lab he was part of produced this paper:
Discovery of psychoactive plant and mushroom alkaloids in ancient fungal cicada pathogens
Greg R. Boyce, Emile Gluck-Thaler, Jason C. Slot, Jason E. Stajich, William J. Davis, Tim Y. James, John R. Cooley, Daniel G. Panaccione, Jorgen Eilenberg, Henrik H. De Fine Licht, Angie M. Macias, Matthew C. Berger, Kristen L. Wickert, Cameron M. Stauder, Ellie J. Spahr, Matthew D. Maust, Amy M. Metheny, Chris Simon, Gene Kritsky, Kathie T. Hodge, Richard A. Humber, Terry Gullion, Dylan P. G. Short, Teiya Kijimoto, Dan Mozgai, Nidia Arguedas, Matt T. Kasson
bioRxiv 375105; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/375105

Tags M. septendecim

Brood XIV Eye Color Magicicada Photos & Illustrations Roy Troutman

Roy Troutman’s Brood XIV photos, part 3

Post author By Dan
Post date March 26, 2020

Brood XIV (14) Magicicada emerged in the greater Cincinnati area in 2008. Roy Troutman took many photos, and I’ll feature them in a series of galleries.

Skip to Part 1, Part 2 or Part 4.

Molting Magicicada:
Molting Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Magicicada nymph:
Magicicada nymph. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Filming Magicicada:
Filming Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Magicicada with unusual eye colors:

Filming Magicicada:
Filming Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Magicicada with unusual eye colors:

Gene Kritsky:
Gene Kritsky. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Gene’s Cicada Thermometer:
Gene Kristsky's Cicada Thermometer

Molting Magicicada:
Molting Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Adult Magicicada:
Adult Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Brood XIV Eye Color Magicicada Photos & Illustrations Roy Troutman

Roy Troutman’s Brood XIV photos, part 1

Post author By Dan
Post date March 26, 2020

Brood XIV (14) Magicicada emerged in the greater Cincinnati area in 2008. Roy Troutman took many photos, and I’ll feature them in a series of galleries.

Skip to Part 2, Part 3 or Part 4.

Roy’s Cicada Mania web cam!!
Cicada Mania Cam

Molting Cicadas on a Tree:
Roy Troutman. Brood XIV. Molting Cicadas on a Tree

Magicicada with white eyes:
Magicicada with white eyes. Brood XIV. Roy Troutman

Molting Magicicada:
Molting Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Magicicada with white eyes:
Magicicada with white eyes. Molting Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Molting magicicada:
Molting magicicada. Magicicada with white eyes. Molting Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Molting magicicada:
Molting Magicicadas. Molting magicicada. Magicicada with white eyes. Molting Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Molting magicicada:
Molting Magicicadas. Molting Magicicadas. Molting magicicada. Magicicada with white eyes. Molting Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Magicicada with Massospora infection:
Magicicada with fungal infection. Molting Magicicadas. Molting Magicicadas. Molting magicicada. Magicicada with white eyes. Molting Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.

Cicada researcher Gene Kritsky:
Gene Kritsky. Magicicada with fungal infection. Molting Magicicadas. Molting Magicicadas. Molting magicicada. Magicicada with white eyes. Molting Magicicada. Roy Troutman. Brood XIV.