Cicada Mania: Gene Kritsky

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May 22, 2013

Finneytown Ohio 17 year Cicada Acceleration

Filed under: Brood VI,Gene Kritsky,Roy Troutman — by Dan Mozgai @ 11:10 pm

Roy Troutman, Gene Kritsky and his wife Jess witnessed a Magicicada emergence in Finneytown Ohio tonight. It is believed that this could be an acceleration of a new Brood VI, or an eight year acceleration of Brood X.

From Roy:

We had an unexpected emergence in parts of the Cincinnati area last night & I got some pics with my new Canon t4i. Gene [Kritsky] & his wife Jess came out to witness it as well. I would say hundreds emerged in a very small suburb of Cincinnati called Finneytown. This could be 4 year acceleration of the new brood VI that Gene has been talking about verifying in 2017 or 8 year acceleration of Brood X.

Photos of these cicadas by Roy.

2013 Finneytown Cicada

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April 14, 2013

How you can help with temperature related periodical cicada research

Filed under: Brood II,Citizen Science,Gene Kritsky,Magicicada,Periodical — by Dan Mozgai @ 5:35 am

Gene Kritsky is one of the leading periodical cicada researchers. He’s asked that we help with his research regarding temperature and cicada emergence. He needs to know the date that cicadas first emerge, and then the date when they appear in large numbers in a given locality. To contact Gene with your findings, email him at cdarwin@aol.com.

Here are the details:

I wanted to alert you to a paper that I published with Roy after Brood XIV. I had placed sensors at cicada depths in Roy’s backyard, and also hung others in the area trees. We recorded the temperatures at 10 minute intervals at all the locations. I was trying to find a weather model to predict soil temperatures without using probes. This would be cheaper for people wanting to monitor an impending emergence. This research is based on what potato farmers do to track the growth of their crop.

We found that the average of the running three day and two day mean temperatures was a good predictor of soil temps.

The formula along with the extended forecast can be used to forecast soil temperatures. Once we get the 64º F soil temps and a nice rain we got emergences. I am hoping to test this model again this year, which in part is why I emailing you. What I need to know is the date that cicadas first emerge, and then the date when they appear in large numbers in a given locality. I will then use weather data to check the soil model. Can you ask readers to send me that info? Many thanks.

You can find more details on the model at:

http://inside.msj.edu/academics/faculty/kritskg/cicada/Site/Estimating_soil_temperature.html

An easier way of getting to the details is to go to www.msj.edu/cicada and click on estimating soil temperatures. That site will also link them to John’s mapping page, activities for kids, etc.

Thank you for your help.

Gene Kritsky

More info about Gene Kritsky:

Purchase his amazing book Periodical Cicadas. The Plague and the Puzzle.
Read an interview with Gene Kritsky.

Comments (2)

October 26, 2011

Cicadas serenaded the dinosaurs

Filed under: Cicada Anatomy,Gene Kritsky — by Dan Mozgai @ 10:15 am

Apparently cicadas serenaded the dinosaurs! Entomologist and Mount St. Joseph professor Gene Kritsky shared the news today that cicadas lived as long as 110 million years ago during the Cretaceous period.

A quote from a press release:

New research has documented that cicadas, those noisy insects that sing during the dog days of summer, have been screaming since the time of the dinosaurs.

A fossil of the oldest definitive cicada to be discovered was described by George Poinar, Jr., Ph.D., professor of zoology at Oregon State University and Gene Kritsky, Ph.D., professor of biology, at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. The cicada, measuring 1.26 mm in length, was named Burmacicada protera.

Read the full Press Release on the MSJ website.

Here is a photo of the ancient Burmacicada protera cicada nymph trapped in amber. Photo credit: George Poinar, Jr., Ph.D.

Burmacicada protera. Copyright of George Poinar, Jr.

It looks a lot like a modern-day first-instar cicada nymph.

Update: Here’s a video news story about Gene’s fossil find.

I need a step-up my fossil collecting hobby. It looks like there’s some places in New Jersey to find fossils. Maybe I’ll find a cicada.

Comments (1)

May 26, 2010

Brood III cicadas are emerging too!

Filed under: Brood III,Gene Kritsky,Magicicada — by Dan Mozgai @ 9:28 pm

Gene Kritsky wrote us to let us know that Brood III periodical cicadas are emerging in Iowa and Missouri.

Dan,

I wanted to let you know that I have received emails with reports of
emerging periodical cicadas in Iowa and northern Missouri in Brood III
territory. These cicadas would be emerging four years early similar to
the early emergences observed in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2009.

Cheers,
Gene

It’s been an interesting year so far, with Brood III stragglers emerging 4 years early, Brood XIV emerging 2 years late, and Brood XIX emerging 1 year early.

Check our Brood Chart to see where the next batch of periodical cicadas might emerge.

Check Magicicada.org for maps.

Comments (1)

June 10, 2008

New Brood XIV Photos from Roy

Filed under: Brood XIV,Gene Kritsky,Roy Troutman — by Dan Mozgai @ 7:58 pm

An adult Magicicada:

Magicicada

A Magicicada suffering from the massospora cicadina fungus:

Magicicada with Fungus

The fungus is spread during mating.

Another shot of the adult Magicicada:

Magicicada

A Magicicada suffering from the massospora cicadina fungus:

Magicicada with Fungus

Gene Kritsky collecting a temperature probe for his cicada temperature study from Roy’s backyard:

Gene Kritsky

Comments (2)

June 4, 2008

BBC Filming in Mariemont

Filed under: Brood XIV,Gene Kritsky,Roy Troutman — by Dan Mozgai @ 9:56 am

I’m catching up on the photos Roy Troutman has sent me.

Here’s photos from a BBC photoshoot in Mariemont Ohio, taken on May 24th. The photos feature cicada expert Gene Kritsky.

BBC Filming in Mariemont

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April 12, 2008

2008 Cicada Temperature Study

Filed under: Brood XIV,Gene Kritsky,Magicicada,Roy Troutman — by Dan Mozgai @ 7:21 am

Roy Troutman sent me these photos of temperature loggers that allow cicada experts, like Gene Kritsky, to measure the ground soil temperature, and improve their formulas for predicting Magicicada emergences.

We [Gene Kristsky and Roy Troutman] buried 3 temperature probes & tied one on a tree branch for air readings. The temperature loggers will take a very accurate reading every 10 minutes & after the emergence has started in full swing Gene will dig them up & hook them to a usb cable & download all the data to his laptop for study. He [Gene] is trying to determine the exact temperature that they will emerge so he can fine tune his formula for calculating emergence times.

Last year Gene’s emergence formula calculator (try it!) did a good job of predicting the Brood XIII emergence, and the 2008 temperature study should only improve it.

You might be able to participate in the 2008 cicada temperature study. If you’re interested, contact Gene Kritsky.

Temperature Logger

Comments (4)