A new species of Tibicen cicada, Tibicen neomexicensis, has been described by Brian J. Stucky.
Thanks to David Marshall for the tip.
November 7, 2013
October 15, 2013
Zammara with a collar like Dracula! Zammara smaragdina
Just in time for Halloween… the Zammara a genus of cicadas with a collar like Dracula!
Andreas Kay has been posting photos of the insects of Ecuador on Flickr for around a year now. He’s posted many excellent cicada photos, particularly, photos of Zammara. They are among the most visually interesting cicadas.
Emerald Cicada, Zammara smaragdina:
Here’s an illustration from Insecta. Rhynchota. Hemiptera-Homoptera. Vol. I by W. L. Distant and The Rev Canon W. W. Fowler, F.L.S:
Here the Scientific classification:
Family: Cicadidae
Subfamily: Cicadinae
Tribe: Zammarini
Genus: Zammara
Species: Zammara smaragdina Walker, 1850
Here’s an article about Collared cicadas of Mexico, Central & South America.
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October 12, 2013
A third way cicadas make sounds
Cicadas are well known for the songs male cicadas make with their their tymbals, which are drum-like organs found in their abdomens.
Some female cicadas will also flick their wings to get the males attention. Watch this video where a male Magicicada is convinced that the snapping of fingers is a wing flick. Note: Magicicada males will also flick their wings once they become infected with the Massospora cicadina fungus (which removes their sex organs).
There is a third way some cicadas can make sounds. This method of creating a sound is unique to the Australian species Cyclochila australasiae (aka the Green Grocer and Masked Devil). These cicadas have stridulatory ridges on their pronotal collars (the collar shaped structure at the back of their head), and a stridulatory scraper on their fore wing.
From M. S. MOULDS, 2012, A review of the genera of Australian cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea). Magnolia Press Auckland, New Zealand. p84:
Cyclochila is unique among the Cicadoidea in possessing a stridulatory file on the underside of the lateral angles of the pronotal collar that interacts with a scraper on the fore wing base (Fig. 132). Rubbed together these produce low audible sound in hand-held specimens (K. Hill, pers. comm.), the purpose of which is for sexual com- munication at close quarters (J. Kentwell and B. Fryz, pers. comm.)
Here is a photo of these structures:
The location of these structures is right about where the blue pin is in this photo:
Update:
Tim McNary of the Bibliography of the Cicadoidea website, let us know that Clidophleps cicadas are also able to create should using a stridulatory structure. Clidophleps is a genus of cicada that can be found in California, Nevada, Arizona, and I assume adjacent parts of Mexico. Clidophleps differs from Cyclochila in that the stridulatory structure is on its mesonotum, and not its pronotal collar.
Photo courtesy of Tim McNary:
October 11, 2013
Looking forward to the 2014 periodical cicada emergences
I am excited about the 17 and 13 year cicada emergences expected in 2014.
Here is what we can look forward to:
- Brood XXII, the Baton Rouge brood. This brood of 13 year Magicicada will emerge in Louisiana and Mississippi. When they emerge depends on the weather, but probably April to May.
- Brood III, The Iowan Brood. This brood of 17 year Magicicada will emerge in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. This emergence will likely peak in June, depending on the weather.
- A 13 Year cicada emergence in Ohio and Kentucky. This group of 13 Year Magicicada hasn’t officially been associated with a brood. May-June is my guess.
- Stragglers from Broods II, IV, XXIII, and VII might emerge next year (see our brood chart for locations). The best bet will be Brood VII stragglers. Brood VII is located in upstate NY (June).
I’m looking forward to taking some vacation time and tracking cicadas. Brood XXII is a good excuse to visit New Orleans (even if it isn’t on the cicada map).
Fun fact: Brood III and XXII won’t emerge in the same year again until the year 2235.
Laura Imbruglia’s Cicada Tattoo
Australian singer/songwriter Laura Imbruglia sent us this photo of her cicada tattoo. Of course, we love it! And we love her music too.
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A look back at the 2013 Brood II Periodical Cicada Emergence
2013 has been an awesome year for cicadas. Here’s a look back at my favorite Brood II moments.
- My 17 Year Cicada sneakers:
- The They’re Baaack! Return of the 17-year Cicadas exhibit at The Staten Island Museum.
- Meeting Ed Johnson of the Staten Island Museum.
- Being interviewed by and appearing in Wired Magazine.
- This April Fools Day joke (that no one believed).
- Hipster Cicada
- Cicada Ron Swanson
- Keep Calm, They’re only 17 Year Cicadas
- Getting 7,500 visits from Reddit in a single day (April 7th).
- Finding the first nymph on April 16th under a garden slate, not ready to emerge.
- Finding the first cicada chimneys on May 10th.
- Giving a presentation about cicadas at musician/naturalist/philosopher/professor David Rothenberg’s “Richard Robinson: Song of the Cicada (World Premiere), Insect Music, based on the calls, chirps and clicks of various insects” event in New York City.
- Finding and photographing Magicicada septendecula, thanks to Elias Bonaro’s keen hearing.
- My sister’s chihuahua discovering a cicada nymph.
- Cicada tracking in New York state.
- An interview with Sonja Beeker of the German radio program Neonlicht.
- The Oklahoma Brood II emergence. A lot of us didn’t expect it, but Oklahoma residents did. Add another state to the Brood II map!
- Shooting lots of cicada video for the site
- Observing the Magicicada cassini’s “musical chairs” calling and flying routine, captured in this photo by Roy Troutman.
- Having Roy and Michelle Troutman visit New Jersey (I think Michelle enjoyed the beach more than the cicadas).
- Going cicada hunting with Roy Troutman and Elias Bonaros
- The Joy of Six Legged Sex event at the Staten Island Museum, featuring John Cooley and Ed Johnson. Roy, Michelle, Elias and David Rothenberg were also in attendance.
- Going cicada hunting in Staten Island with Elias and Chris Simon.
- Going cicada hunting with John Cooley, David Rothenberg, and a crew from the New York Times, and ending up at my folk’s place in Metuchen.
- Fighting back against companies that sell pesticide to kill cicadas.
- Discovering that the periodical cicadas along the shore of Staten Island survived Superstorm Sandy.
- Meeting cicada filmmaker Sam Orr.
- All the reports, comments, Tweets, and cicada photos sent to us by Cicada Mania readers. You make it all worthwhile.
- The Finneytown, Ohio acceleration… technically not Brood II, but…
- All the cool cicada community science opportunities presented by magicicada.org, the Simon Lab, the Urban Buzz Project, Gene Kritsky and Radiolab.
I’m looking forward to the Brood III and XXII emergences next year, but I don’t know if they’ll be as fun as Brood II 2013.
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October 10, 2013
Masked Devil aka Cyclochila australasiae
Lozang Y. posted this image of a Masked Devil aka Cyclochila australasiae on our Facebook page. The photo was taken in the Blue Mountains, NSW, Australia.
These cicadas are currently out and singing in the New South Wales area.
The green form of this cicada is called a Green Grocer, the yellow form is called a Yellow Monday, and the Blue Form is called the Blue Moon. The Cyclochila australasiae might have more color variations than even the Gaeana festiva of Southeast Asia.
More info about Cyclochila australasiae from L.W. Popple’s website.
October 6, 2013
Cicada Papers and Documents, PDFs and Images
Visit Tim McNary’s Bibliography of the Cicadoidea for many, many more cicada papers and articles.
Biogeography of the Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of North America, North of Mexico
Author: Allen F. Sanborn 1, and Polly K. Phillips (2013)
North American Cicadas. Features maps. “Abstract: We describe and illustrate the biogeography of the cicadas inhabiting continental North America, north of Mexico. Species distributions were determined through our collecting efforts as well as label data from more than 110 institutional collections.”
File located on cicadamania.com.
North American cicadas (1921)
Author: Davis, William T. (William Thompson), 1862-1945; New York Entomological Society. Journal
North American Cicadas
File located on archive.org.
A monograph of oriental cicadidae (1892)
Author: Distant, William Lucas, 1845-1922
Cicadas of India, Southeast Asia and China
File located on archive.org.
Centre for Entomological Studies Ankara, Cesa News Nr. 55 (January 30, 2010)
Cicadidae of Turkey and some ecological notes on Tibicina serhadensis Kocak & Kemal from Van Province (East Turkey) (Homoptera) — Author: Muhabbet Kemal, Ahmet Omer Kocak, Vildan Bozaci
Cicadas of Turkey
File located on archive.org.
The Periodical Cicada (1907)
Author: C. L. Marlatt
Magicicada periodical cicadas
File located on archive.org.
The periodical cicada in 1914 (1914)
Author: United States. Bureau of Entomology; Marlatt, C. L
Magicicada periodical cicadas
File located on archive.org.
Les Cicadines d’Europe : d’après les originaux et les plus récentes (1875)
Fieber, Franz Xaver, 1807-1872; Metcalf Collection (North Carolina State University). NCRS
Cicadas of Europe
File located on archive.org.
Insecta. Rhynchota. Hemiptera-Homoptera. Volume I (1881-1905)
W. L. Distant and W. W. Fowler
Cicadas of Central and South America
File located on www.sil.si.edu.
Emergence of Prime Numbers as the Result of Evolutionary Strategy (PDF)
Prof. Douglas Galvao of the State University of Campinas
Magicicada periodical cicadas
File located on cicadamania.com.
Genera of American cicadas north of Mexico (1978)
Author: Heath, Maxine Shoemaker
Genera of American cicadas north of Mexico. Note a more recent book (scroll up) has been published in 2013.
File located on archive.org.
Dictionnaire universel d’histoire naturelle: atlas (1861)
Author: Orbigny, Charles Dessalines d’, 1806-1876; Metcalf Collection (North Carolina State University). NCRS
Contains a few cicada illustrations including a Tacua sp.
File located on archive.org.
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October 3, 2013
Tibicen Cicada Tattoo
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September 30, 2013
Cicadas of Thailand Volume 2: Taxonomy and Sonic Ethology by Michel Boulard
Cicadas of Thailand Volume 2: Taxonomy and Sonic Ethology by Michel Boulard is available now via Siri Scientific Press.
A comprehensive 436 page volume from the leading world expert representing 13 years of work on taxonomy (including several newly described species) and sonic ethology, with supporting audio tracks
I ordered a copy already.
Cicadas of Thailand Volume 1 was a great resource for the cicadas of Thailand and South-East Asia in general (many Asian species are not endemic, so you’ll find them in many countries). I imagine that Volume 2 will be just as amazing.
Here’s his first book Cicadas of Thailand: General and Particular Characteristics. Volume 1:
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