H is for Hieroglyphic Cicada. The Neocicada hieroglyphica a.k.a. Hieroglyphic Cicada is found in the south-eastern United States. It’s active in the late spring and early summer. There are multiple subspecies of the Hieroglyphic Cicada including the Neocicada hieroglyphica hieroglyphica and Neocicada hieroglyphica johannis, according to InsectSingers.com.

Photo by Matt Berger.

Listen to a Hieroglyphic Cicada:

Neocicada hieroglyphica singing by Joe Green from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.

• Haemolymph is a blood-like fluid found in some arthropods like cicadas. Cicadas use haemolymph to inflate their wings when they eclose (leave their nymph form and become adults), as well as to transport nutrients throughout the cicada’s body.
• Harvest Fly is common name for Tibicen cicadas, presumably in areas where harvests take place. I’ve heard tales that the harvest is supposed to take place a month after the last Tibicen sings.
• Kathy Hill is a cicada researcher who is “working on descriptions of new species of cicadas from New Zealand, Australia and North America, several discovered through recognition of their unique songs” (quoted from Kathy and David Marshall’s wonderful InsectSingers.com website). Kathy is responsible for this unbelievable photo of 18 different USA Tibicen specimens.
• Huechys sanguinea is a beautiful black and red cicada from Asia. Here’s a photo of a Huechys sanguinea: (Photo by Huechys sanguinea by =spurdog=, on Flickr).

Temperature is a factor in when cicadas will emerge from the earth and enter the adult phase of their lives. Cicadas like warm weather (as do most insects) and so once the soil & air reaches a temperature that pleases the cicadas, they will likely emerge. There are other factors of course, but hotter weather usually means cicadas will emerge sooner than later.

The spring and summer of 2010 has been HOTTER than usual in the mid-Atlantic area of the United States, and so species of cicadas are emerging earlier than expected. Since June first, I’ve witnessed, 32 days above 80F(27C), and 11 days above 90F(32C), in New Jersey, which is warmer than usual.

Annual cicada species like the Tibicen species and Neocicada hieroglyphica have been emerging sooner than expected. Cicadas.info has reports of Neocicada hieroglyphica, Tibicen lyricen and T. tibicen (T. chloromera) emerging sooner than expected. I’ve been hearing T. linnei in New Jersey since June.

Massachusetts Cicadas is reporting a slow start for Tibicen. Massachusetts is a New England state, and is typically cooler than Mid-Atlantic states like New Jersey, but that might not be the only factor at work here. It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

What else…

Temperature will also effect when a cicada will sing: if it’s too cold cicadas won’t sing, and if it’s too hot the poor over-heated cicadas won’t sing. This is why you won’t hear some annual cicadas singing on a cool day, or when it’s near 100F(38C). This depends on the species too; some species like it HOT, and some like it cool.

I’ve also heard that temperature can effect the frequency of a cicada’s song, however there is not a formula that allows to you determine the temperature based on the pauses in a cicada’s call like there is for crickets.

Here’s a cool photo of a Neocicada hieroglyphica found by Matt Berger on top of a rocky ridge in the Red River Gorge in Kentucky.

Read all posts featuring Neocicada photos and video.

Joe Green wrote us to let us know that he heard the first Neocicada hieroglyphica of the year.

Just wanted to let you all know I heard the first male Neocicada hieroglyphica calling from a oak tree today at Chico’s World Headquarters campus here in Fort Myers, Florida. I heard the warm-up pre call at first that lead into to the full blown chorus call for 6 repeated calls before he stopped. It was 2:40 pm EST, in the afternoon with the temperature reaching 80 degrees on this day. I have yet to hear one at Dusk here at the house but I’ll listen from now on with the start of the season here in south Florida and record all my data for this year’s research. I’ll keep in touch with all of you as the year proceeds.

About the Neocicada hieroglyphica:

18 photos of Neocicada hieroglyphica.

Video of a singing Neocicada hieroglyphica:

Neocicada hieroglyphica singing by Joe Green from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.

Joe Green sent me a couple of CDs worth of North American cicadas calling and has graciously allowed us to use them for the site. The highlight of these videos is that they feature cicada calls.

I have to add descriptions, and about 50 more videos, but for now check out what’s uploaded so far.

Here’s a sample:

hieroglyphica 6-07 044 from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.

Joe Green mailed us some new cicada photos.

Stll oozy, originally uploaded by Crystal Pistil.

Looks like a Neocicada hieroglyphica.

Thanks to Cicada Mania friend Joe Green we now have 3 new cicada galleries featuring cicadas we didn’t have before one the site: Neocicada hieroglyphica, Diceroprocta olympusa and Tibicen resonans.

Hang in there, we’ll be back to the 17 Year Cicadas tomorrow.

Here’s a pleasant interruption in the 17-year cicada mania. Joe Green has sent us some cicada photos from Florida. These are from last years season.

Joe says the Neocicada hiroglyphica cicadas have been singing in Florida since April 29th.