Cicada ManiaI had my April Fool’s Day fun, except Cicada Mania fans are smart folks and figured it out immediately.
After 17 years I am shutting down Cicada Mania. I am starting a new site Fulgoridae Frenzy. twitter.com/cicadamania/st…
— Cicada Mania (@cicadamania) April 1, 2013
Also, Hipster Cicada made an appearance:
When a cicada sheds its nymphal skin, revealing its adult form, we call it ecdysis. You probably call it molting, and that’s just fine.
Here are a bunch of videos of cicadas moulting:
Here is a Magicicada nymph molting (the 17-year variety) by Roy Troutman:
Magicicada nymph molting from Roy Troutman on Vimeo.
Annual cicada molting to an adult by Roy:
Annual cicada molting to an adult from Roy Troutman on Vimeo.
Here is Tibicen moulting by blackpawphoto (YouTube Link):
Here is a video of a Japanese cicada, the Terpnosia nigricosta, moulting by AntoSan09 (YouTube Link):
I’m in the April edition of Wired magazine. Go to your newsstand and buy a stack.
Drymopsalta hobsoni is a newly identified cicada found in Australia.
Drymopsalta hobsoni sp. nov. is one of three new species of cicada described this year by Tony Ewart and Lindsay Popple.* Tony and Lindsay had participated in a QPWS fauna survey at Bringalily State Forest, near Inglewood in southern inland Queensland. When returning to the site subsequently for a follow-up cicada search, Tony located the new cicada.
Learn more and see photos of this cicada in Robert Ashdown’s article New summer singers.
There are two families of cicadas, Cicadidae (most cicadas) and Tettigarctidae (only two species). The two species in the Tettigarctidae family are Tettigarcta crinita, of southern Australia, and Tettigarcta tomentosa, of Tasmania. Cicadas of the family Tettigarctidae have ancestral morphology, similar to fossilized cicadas1. They are known for their hairy appearance.
Here are some morphological differences between the two cicada families:
| family | Tettigarcta | Cicadidae |
|---|---|---|
| Tymbal (Makes the cicada’s noise) | poorly developed in both sexes | well developmed in males |
| Tympana (listening apparatus) | no | yes |
| Pronotum (covers the dorsal area of the thorax) | expands over mesonotum | ends at pronotal collar |
| Pronotal collar (separates pronotum from mesonotum) | no | yes |
| Cruciform elevation (an X-shaped structure on mesonotum) | no | yes |
1See Allen F. Sanborn’s document Overview of Cicada Morphology for more information.
Here’s a photo of the Tettigarcta tomentosa from different angles (click the image for a closer view):
There’s going to be a lot of cicada news this year, so I’m going to start publishing a regular cicada news feature. Here is a recap of news for March, so far.
Two articles that are getting a lot of buzz:
The 17-Year Cicadas Are Coming in the Business Insider.
The Cicadas Are Coming! Crowdsourcing An Underground Movement on NPR.
Flying salt shakers of death, written by Angie Macias, is an article about the Massospora fungus that attacks cicadas.
flickr.com/photos/andreas… A wonderful Carineta sp. cicada from Equador
— Cicada Mania (@cicadamania) March 14, 2013
An illustration of the possibly extinct but hopefully not New Forest Cicada. @newforestcicada newforestcicada.info twitter.com/cicadamania/st…
— Cicada Mania (@cicadamania) March 13, 2013
Cicadas’ antibacterial trick may help humans, written by Russell McLendon, is an article about how the structure of cicada wings help them defend themselves from bacteria. “Scientists have found tiny spikes on cicada wings that rupture and kill bacterial cells — a disease-fighting strategy that might also work in manmade materials”.
Japanese woodblock art (ukiyo-e) featuring cicadas ukiyo-e.org/search?q=cicad… twitter.com/cicadamania/st…
— Cicada Mania (@cicadamania) March 2, 2013
I spent most of the day at the Staten Island Museum. The Staten Island Museum has North America’s largest collection of cicadas — over 35,000 specimens!!! Most, if not all the specimens came from William T. Davis’ personal collection. Davis was a naturalist and entomologist located in Staten Island, NY, who was active in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Read more about the collection.
The museum is currently working on a huge cicada exhibit and many cicada events throughout the year. The They’re Baaack! Return of the 17-year Cicada Family Day event will happen in a few weeks.
Here’s a few shots of the museum and the collection I took with my camera phone:
Part of their giant Wall of Insects:
Number 39 in that photo is Hemisciera maculipennis, aka the “stop and go cicada”. When alive the cicada’s coloring is green and red, like a traffic signal. Here is a photo of a live H. maculipennis.
Tibicen and Cicada Killer Wasps:
Tacua speciosa detail:
A giant light-up cicada outside the museum:
Just part of the Staten Island Museum’s cicada collection
Thanks to Ed Johnson, Director of Science, for showing me many of amazing specimens in the museum’s collection.
Bonus: You can download a copy of William T. Davis’ document North American Cicadas. It’s free!
Check out this groovy cicada pillow by friends J.C. Luz and Cliff G. gave me. No cicada fan’s home is complete without one. I’ll post a link to where you can buy one, as soon as I figure that out.
If you like Comic Books, check out Cliff’s comic book convention happening in Asbury Park, NJ this spring.
The emergence of Brood II is 3 to 4 months away (when they emerge depends on how warm the Spring is), but the Staten Island Museum, in Staten Island NY has already planned an event and exhibit to celebrate the emergence. According to cicada researcher Allen Sanborn, the museum largest cicada collection in North America (they have over 35,000 specimens), so it’s a good place to celebrate cicadas.
They’re Baaack! Return of the 17-year Cicadas
February 16, 2013 – Spring 2014
See numerous cicada specimens from the Museum’s extensive collection, sculpture inspired by the Cicada, new work by syndicated cartoonist Tayor Jones, a timeline of past emergences linked to historic events, a time-lapse video of emerging cicadas, a hands on video microscope, a Google map showing where cicadas are emerging, big-bug sci-fi fun, unusual Cicada ephemera and facts from around the globe, activities for kids and more.
On February 15th they’re having OPENING RECEPTION PREVIEW PARTY from 6:00pm – 9:00pm, including dinner, drinks and disco.
On February 16th they’re having a Cicada Family Day from 10:00am – 4:00pm.
And then cicada exhibits throughout the Spring.
See their Upcoming Exhibitions and Current Exhibitions page for more information (which page depends on when you read this.)
The Staten Island Museum is located at Staten Island Museum, 75 Stuyvesant Place, SI, NY 10301, or on the web at www.statenislandmuseum.org.
