Author: Dan

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Papers and Documents

2025 Cicada Publications

This is a list of research publications about cicadas in 2025. It is a work in progress.

November

A new species and the revised species status of cicadas of the genus of Dorachosa Distant, 1892 from Mexico (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettinae: Carinetini)

Highlight: “Dorachosa mesomexicana sp. nov. is described.”
Authors: Allen F. Sanborn
Publication information: Journal of Insect Biodiversity. VOL. 71 NO. 2: 6 NOV. 2025. 10.12976/JIB/2025.71.2.2
Link: mapress.com

Phylogenomics and Fossilized Birth-Death Dating Reveals Gondawanan Origin and Extensive Post-Cretaceous Diversification of Worldwide Cicadidae

Highlight: “We estimated a Cretaceous origin for Cicadidae with four of the five subfamilies diversifying shortly after the K-Pg extinction event.”
Authors: Mark Stukel, Nicholas J. Matzke, Jordan Douglas, Tatiana Petersen Ruschel, Stéphane Puissant, Ben W. Price, Martin Villet, Alan R. Lemmon, Emily Moriarty Lemmon, Chris Simon
Publication information: bioRxiv 2025.11.08.687401; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.11.08.687401
Link: www.biorxiv.org

A new cicada species of the genus Psithyristria Stål (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)

Highlight: “A new species of the genus Psithyristria Stål, 1870 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadinae: Psithyristriini), Psithyristria parapeculiaris sp. nov., is described from Santa Rosa, Luzon, Philippines.”
Author: Young June Lee.
Publication information: Journal of Insect Biology. VOL. 71 NO. 2: 6 NOV. 2025; DOI: 10.12976/JIB/2025.71.2.3
Link: mapress.com

Initially Coexisting Endosymbionts Migrate Into Different Tissues During Ontogeny of Host Cicadas

Highlight: “This study sheds light on how symbiont-host interactions shape the symbiotic organogenesis, which provides insights into adaptive evolution of specialised symbiotic organs in plant sap-feeding insects.”
Authors: Jinrui Zhou, Wenzhe Zhang, Qiong Guo, Xingyue Liu, Cong Wei
Publication information: Environmental Microbiology. Volume27, Issue11 November 2025 e70185 https://doi.org/10.1111/1462-2920.70185
Link: enviromicro-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Evaluation of Entomopathogenic Fungi against Psalmocharias alhageos (Kolenati) (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) under Laboratory and Semi-Field Conditions

Highlight: “Entomopathogenic fungi “EPF”, a class of fungi that are naturally occurring in soil and pathogenic to insects, have demonstrated potential utility against a broad spectrum of soil-dwelling pests and some non-soil-dwelling pests.”
Authors: Sajjadi, Kimia & Ghaffari, Sepideh & Rahimpour, Mehrdad & Stelinski, Lukasz & Butt, Tariq & Karimi, Javad
Publication Information: Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control. 35.
Link: www.researchgate.net

October

Two new genera of Aolina (Dundubiini), with a key to the genera of the subtribe (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)

Highlight: “Two new cicada genera from the Eastern Palearctic and Oriental Regions, Sinfonia gen. nov. and Streeyola gen. nov., are erected in the subtribe Aolina Boulard, 2012 (tribe Dundubiini Distant, 1905), with the designations of Dundubia opalifera Walker, 1850 and Cosmopsaltria mongolica Distant, 1881 as the respective type species.”
Authors: Young June Lee
Publication Information: Fragmenta Entomologica 57(2):149-158
Link: researchgate.net

September

First record of Eopycna concinna (Cicadidae: Cicadinae) from China

Highlight: “This study reports the first documented occurrence of E. concinna in China, significantly extending its known distribution range northward.”
Authors: Ke-Yi Duan, Zhong-Hong Fu, Fei Lu, Chuan-Hui Yi & Qiu-Ju He
Publication Information: Scientific Reports volume 15, Article number: 12826 (2025)
Link: www.tandfonline.com

August

Cicada as a food for mammals: a global review and implications for mammal behaviour and populations

Highlight: “Here, I summarize the published literature on cicada consumption by mammals worldwide and review the ecological roles of cicadas in the behavior, population, and community of mammals.”
Authors: Kanzi M. Tomita
Publication information: Wildlife Biology e01496. https://doi.org/10.1002/wlb3.01496
Link: nsojournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

Early stragglers of periodical cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) found in Louisiana

Highlight: “However, it is strongly suspected that the observed cicadas were early stragglers of Broods XXII and XXIII (Magicicada spp.).”
Authors: Colin A. R. Bonser, C. Wood Johnson and Christopher E. Carlton
Publication information: Florida Entomologist, vol. 108, no. 1, 2025, pp. 20240066. https://doi.org/10.1515/flaent-2024-0066
Link: www.degruyterbrill.com

See all Straggler, Brood XXII and Brood XXIII posts on this site.

June

First record of the genus Lemuriana Distant, 1905 (Hemiptera, Cicadidae, Lamotialnini) from Kerala, India

Highlights: “The cicada Lemuriana apicalis (Germar, 1830) (Hemiptera, Cicadidae, Lamotialnini) is reported for the first time from Kerala, India”.
Authors: A. Anjana, K. T. Teji.
Publication information: Lamotialnini) from Kerala, India. ENTOMON, 50(2), 219–224. https://doi.org/10.33307/entomon.v50i2.1472
Link: entomon.in

May

New genera and species of cicadas from arid Australia (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae)

Highlight: “Five new genera and 12 new species are described from arid regions of Western Australia, Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales”.
Author: Moulds, M.S., David C. Marshall.
Publication information: Megataxa. VOL. 17 NO. 1: 13 JUN. 2025. DOI: 10.11646/MEGATAXA.17.1.1
Link: mapress.com

April

Phylogeny, biogeography, and diversification of the cicada Pomponia linearis and its allies (Hemiptera: Cicadidae)

Highlights: “This study improves understanding of the diversification, phylogeny, and dispersal history of cicadas in Eastern Asia.”
Author: Jiali Wang, Masami Hayashi, Cong Wei
Publication information: Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 203, Issue 4, April 2025, zlaf019, https://doi.org/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaf019
Link: academic.oup.com

ECOSoundSet: a finely annotated dataset for the automated acoustic identification of Orthoptera and Cicadidae in North, Central and temperate Western Europe

Highlights: “10,653 recordings of 200 orthopteran and 24 cicada species”.
Authors: David Funosas, Elodie Massol, Yves Bas, Svenja Schmidt, Dominik Arend, Alexander Gebhard, Luc Barbaro, Sebastian König, Rafael Carbonell Font, David Sannier, Fernand Deroussen, Jérôme Sueur, Christian Roesti, Tomi Trilar, Wolfgang Forstmeier, Lucas Roger, Eloïsa Matheu, Piotr Guzik, Julien Barataud, Laurent Pelozuelo, Stéphane Puissant, Sandra Mueller, Björn Schuller, Jose M. Montoya, Andreas Triantafyllopoulos, Maxime Cauchoix
Publication information: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2504.20776
Link: arxiv.org

Sounds from the Eocene: the first singing cicada from the Messel Pit, Germany

Highlights: “In this study, we report the first fossil record of the Platypleurini from the Eocene Messel Pit: a new genus and species, Eoplatypleura messelensis”
Authors: Hui Jiang, Maxwell S. Moulds, Stephan M. Blank, Jes Rust & Sonja Wedmann
Publication information: Scientific Reports volume 15, Article number: 12826 (2025)
Link: www.nature.com

See all Platypleurini posts and photos on this site.

March

Aide à l’identification des exuvies de cigales de France métropolitaine (Hemiptera, Cicadidae)

Highlights: “This article is a contribution to the study of cicadas in mainland France, which aims to enable a specific determination using the exuviae.”
Author: Maxime Bellifa
Publication information: Bulletin de la Société entomologique de France, 130 (1) : 69-82. https://doi.
org/10.32475/bsef_2360
Link: lasef.org

First record of the genus Cochleopsaltria Pham & Constant (Hemiptera, Cicadidae, Cicadinae) from China, with a description of the second species

Highlights: “First record of the genus Cochleopsaltria from China.”
Authors: Cheng-Bin Wang, Zhi-Jian Liu
Publication information: ZooKeys 1230: 335-346. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1230.144099
Link: zookeys.pensoft.net
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February

Phylogeny, diversification and biogeography of charming moth-like cicadas in the tribe Gaeanini Distant (Hemiptera, Cicadidae)

Highlights: “This study presents the first comprehensive phylogeny of Gaeanini based on molecular data of cicadas and genomic data from their obligate endosymbiont Candidatus Karelsulcia muelleri (hereafter Karelsulcia).”
Authors: Jiali Wang, Jinrui Zhou, Wenzhe Zhang, Cong Wei
Publication information: Royal Entomological Society. First published: 28 February 2025 https://doi.org/10.1111/syen.12676.
Link: resjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com

See all Gaeanini posts and photos on this site.

Categories
Neotibicen Teneral

2025 Morning Cicada Review – teneral cicadas hardening wings

This is Part 3 of my 2025 Morning Cicada (Swamp Cicada, Neotibicen tibicen tibicen) review.

These photos are of cicadas that have recently molted from their nymphal skins and are expanding and hardening their wings.

Expanding wings, with a few wrinkles

Neotibicen tibicen tibicen hardening their wings.

Wings hardening and folded against the cicadas’s body. Interesting blue-green eye color

Neotibicen tibicen tibicen hardening their wings.

Wings hardening and folded against the cicadas’s body

Neotibicen tibicen tibicen hardening their wings.

Neotibicen tibicen tibicen hardening their wings.

Go to Part 2 or Part 1!

Categories
Molting Neotibicen

2025 Morning Cicada Review – Molting Process

This is part 2 of 2025 Morning Cicada (Swamp Cicada, Neotibicen tibicen tibicen) photos.

A cicada pushing its way out of its skin:

The cicada pushing its way out of its skin.

The cicada out of its skin, beginning to inflate its wings.

The cicada out of its skin , starting to inflate its wings,

A hemolymph bubble on the cicada's wing. An injury that is usually not fatal.

A hemolymph bubble on the cicada's wing. An injury that is usually not fatal.

The cicada with every part but the end of its abdomen out of its skin.

The cicada with every part but the end of its abdomen out of its skin.

A cicada mostly out of its old skin and about to reach forward and grab the skin so it can pull its abdomen out.

The cicada mostly out of its old skin and about to reach forward and grab the skin so it can pull its abdomen out.

Now check out Part 1: the Nymphs or Part 3: teneral cicadas hardening wings.

Categories
Neotibicen Nymphs

2025 Morning Cicada Review – the nymphs

2025 was a good year for Morning (aka Swamp aka Neotibicen tibicen tibicen) cicadas in New Jersey. The nymph season lasted from the second week of July to the third week of August.

Each year I post the images and videos of Morning Cicadas that I take.

Here’s the first post in the 2025 series: nymphs!

A nymph crawling up a spruce tree

Neotibicen tibicen tibicen nymph starting to molt

A nymph crawling up a spruce tree

Neotibicen tibicen tibicen nymph starting to molt

A nymph perched and starting to molt

Neotibicen tibicen tibicen nymph starting to molt

And a playlist of all videos (not just molting)

Go to Part 2: Molting.

Categories
Fiji Periodical Raiateana Stamps Tacuini (Cryptotympanini)

The Nanai Cicadas of Fiji are back after 8-years! Fiji is issuing stamps to celebrate

The Nanai cicadas (Raiateana knowlesi (Distant, 1907)) of Fiji are back after 8-years, and Fiji is issuing stamps to celebrate their emergence.

Update! If you want to see what the Nanai look like, visit the Cicada Discussion, Science and Study Group on Facebook and view Elias Bonaro’s 9/22 post.

Nanai cicadas are special because they have an 8-year periodical cycle. They are found in the hills of Viti Levu island of the Fiji archipelago. They are also special because of the Legend of The Nanai and their importance to Fijian culture.

2025 Nanai Stamps

2025 Nanai stamps will be available from Post Fiji Pte Limited. They start shipping on the 25th of September (new date). See this BROCHURE – THE NANAI EMERGENCE for more information.

FDC - The Nanai Emergence

Nanai brochure cover

Nanai Cicadas Stamps from 2009

Here’s an image of Nanai stamps from 2009 (or maybe 2010):

Nanai stamps

More information about the Nanai

How do the Nanai (Raiateana knowlesi) compare to other cicadas around the world

The Nanai are similar to Magicicada cicadas in the United States in that they have precise periodic lifecycles. Nanai have 8-year cycles and Magicicada have 13 or 17-year cycles.

The Nanai are similar to North American Dog-Day cicadas, European Lyristes plebejus, and the Tacua speciosa of Malaysia & Indonesia, in that they belong to the same Tribe (Tacuini) and share similar anatomy like hidden tympani (the noise makers).

Categories
Cicadettini Huechys Philippines

Huechys phaenicura (Germar, 1834) from Antique, Panay Is., Philippines

Neo Scott allowed us to share his images and sound files of the cicada Huechys phaenicura. Neo Scott is a cicada expert who you should follow on iNaturalist and X. He found the Huechys phaenicura cicada species in Antique, Panay Is., Philippines. Huechys phaenicura is related to “the medicinal cicada” Huechys sanguinea, and both cicadas belong to the sub-tribe Huechysina and tribe Cicadettini.

Photos of the cicada (Feb 25, 2025):

Huechys phaenicura Neo Scott 01

Huechys phaenicura Neo Scott 02

The cicada’s song (Feb 25, 2025):

Turn up the volume to hear it.

Huechys phaenicura Neo Scott 03

iNaturalist observations:

Categories
Coleman Cobbs Neotibicen Tacuini (Cryptotympanini)

Neotibicen similaris from Rapides Parish, Louisiana

Thank you, Coleman Cobbs, for these photos of a Neotibicen similaris cicada. The cicada was found in from Rapides Parish, Louisiana. This cicada looks “similar” to many other species of Neotibicen cicadas aka “Dog Day”.

Neotibicen similaris

Neotibicen similaris

Neotibicen similaris

Categories
Brood XIV Magicicada

Hogs and Cicadas in Tennessee

Lynn Faust, author of the book Fireflies, Glow-worms, and Lightning Bugs, wrote us in early May concerned that the wild hogs in her area had rooted up and eaten Brood XIV cicadas about to emerge. Hogs are omnivores and are excellent at finding food buried underground, so her assumption makes sense.

She told us that the Turkey Camp on Greasy Creek had hundreds of intact pre and post emergence cicada turrets in 2008, with lots of chorusing. However, in 2025, there were no intact cicada turrets where the hogs plowed up the ground. There were plenty of fragments of turrets, but no adult cicadas or their shells (shed skins).

You can see the hob rooting in Lynn’s photos:

Hog rooting.

Hog rooting.

Any impacts to cicada populations, like hog rooting, is interesting to people who study cicadas.

Good news!

Fortunately some cicadas survived, in the hog-plowed areas, and there was no impact in the areas where the hogs did not plow up the ground.

News from Lynn:

Today 10 days later (May 19, 2025) than first visit, completely different!

All previous locations still singing loudly by the 1000s, millions?

Greasy Creek drainage was also singing loudly!

In the plowed up areas, there remained no cicada skins and no evidence and broken mud towers.

BUT, away from the roads much of the forest was intact and apparently plenty made it up into the treetops and they are singing and courting mightily now.

So I wanted you to know the happy ending. Those hogs won a good cicada buffet, but Cicada Brood 14 won the season!

Here are some of Lynn’s photos. All photos in the post are copyright of Lynn Faust.

Adult Magicicada

Adult Magicicada

A trio of cicadas

Categories
Okanagana Tibicinini

Okanagana monochroma, a cicada that thrives in a serpentine ecosystem

Okanagana monochroma, a newly described cicada, thrives in a serpentine ecosystem in Northern California.

Read about it in the paper: Smeds, E.A. & Chatfield-Taylor, W. (2025) A new species of Okanagana native to a unique serpentine ecosystem in Northern California (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadidae). Zootaxa, 5636 (3), 487–498.

Here is the abstract from the paper:

Okanagana monochroma sp. nov. is described from a unique and geographically isolated serpentine ecosystem in Northern California. The new species is diagnosed from other Okanagana Distant by a combination of morphological and bioacoustic characters. We provide a description of the calling song, habitat, and host plant associations of O. monochroma sp. nov., and present hypotheses for possible endemism models to explain its remarkably narrow geographic range, which may be the smallest of any North American cicada.

I wonder if the name monochroma refers to the fact that the cicada is almost entirely one color. Serpentine is rock that forms when ultramafic (high in magnesium & iron) magma metamorphosizes with sea water, typically at oceanic vents, sea mounts, and other volcanically active areas on ocean floors. When ocean floors are thrust above continents, we often end up with serpentine rock and soils on dry land. Serpentine rich soils are a challenge for plant life, and they usually lead to unique plants adapted to serpentine. I assume this cicada is adapted to one of these special plants.

Categories
Brood I Brood X Brood XXII Magicicada Periodical Stragglers

Magicicada stragglers everywhere in 2025

Magicicada periodical cicadas often emerge earlier or later than expected. This phenomenon is called straggling, and the individual cicadas that emerged earlier or later are called stragglers. Magicicada are presumed to straggle for a number of reasons including subterranean overcrowding and the effects of urban heat islands on subterranean environments (a recent phenomenon). Evolutionarily speaking, it is a mechanism that allows them to break away from their original brood and form a new one. Right now on the homepage of the UCONN Cicada site they have a good story about how Brood XIV connects to Brood X, which connects to VI, which connects to II.

Stragglers, in the past, were observed and documented (MORRIS,J. G. 1870. Seventeen-year locust two years too late. Amer. Ent., 2: 304.) but it is much easier to do so today thanks to apps like iNaturalist, Cicada Safari, and mobile phones and social media in general.

So, where are we observing stragglers in 2025?

Down in the Baton Rouge area of Louisiana, Brood XXII is emerging 2 years early (iNaturalist Map). Brood XXII typically has a 13-year lifecycle.

Brood XXII

There are many Brood X stragglers emerging in the Washington D.C. area (iNaturalist Map).

DC Brood X

Brood I stragglers are appearing in the Roanoke, Virginia area emerging four years early. (iNaturalist map).

Roanoke

There are a handful of Brood X stragglers in the Princeton, NJ area. (iNaturalist Map).

And there are definitely more…

If you want to look for stragglers, online, you can use iNaturalist or the Cicada Safari app. Here is a map with all the Cicada Safari sightings on it.

And here’s a map that plots all the Broods, courtesy of Cicadas @ UCONN:

Two notes:

1) The general public does not like the term stragglers when applied to cicadas that emerge early, because straggling generally means to be late, not early. Marlatt referred to them as precursors (Marlatt, 1989). You can use that term if you like.
2) People called cicadas locusts in the recent past. Scientifically speaking and in modern times, a locust is a grasshopper. Cicadas and grasshoppers are very different insects, but they can emerge in large numbers and do some damage to plants (cicadas cause flagging on trees, while locusts eat everything), hence the confusion.