Author: cicadamania

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Elias Bonaros Neotibicen

Blue Neotibicen davisi found in Cape May county by Elias Bonaros

No photos yet!

Elias Bonaros has been visiting Cicada Mania since at least 2004 (see old message board archives and all posts about Elias on this site). I met him in person for the first time in 2013 during the Brood II cicada emergence. We have hung out many times since then, in search of cicadas. Elias is a true cicada enthusiast and autodidact. Not only does he discuss cicadas online, but he also befriends cicada experts, and seeks cicadas out in the real world, traveling as far as Fiji to find the 8-year periodical Nanai Cicadas. He is the real deal.

This summer Elias traveled to Cape May county, New Jersey to look for cicadas. Cape May has an abundance of cicada species. Let’s list them out: Neotibicen latifasciatus, Neotibicen linnei, Neotibicen lyricen, Megatibicen grossus, Neocicada hieroglyphica, Neotibicen tibicen, Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini, and Neotibicen davisi. Neotibicen davisi aka Davis’ Southeastern Dog-Day Cicada is small as Neotibicen cicadas go. It sounds like an angle grinder grinding against concrete or metal. Its colors vary, but often include: black, brown, green, yellowish orange on its dorsal side, and tan and white on its abdomen. But never before BLUE. I double checked iNaturalst and BugGuide, but there are no blue N. davisi on either website.

I saw Elias’ photos of the blue N. davisi. They are indeed blue to turquoise-blue in color, importantly, even after molting and hardening. Cicada colors change quite a bit from the time they first molt to the time their skin fully hardens (sclerotizes) — but Elias’s cicadas were blue at the time of molting and after — the blue did not change to green, brown or black. If memory serves, I think he found three total.

While this discovery is incredibly rare, there is a reason why. If the cicada lacks the yellow carotenoid pigment, the blue biliverdin pigment dominates the color of the cicada. Without yellow, there are no browns, tans, greens and of course yellows. We see this phenomena in the Blue Moon morph of the normally green Green Grocer (Cyclochila australasiae) cicada in Australia.

To sum it up: Elias Bonaros, super cicada researcher, went to Cape May county, New Jersey in the summer of 2026 and found three or more ultra-rare blue Neotibicen davisi. To date, no one has published a photo of a blue N. davisi.

Categories
Neocicada Pop Culture

Welcome to the aboveground world, brave voyager (Neocicada hieroglyphica)

Behold! The vacant skin of a Hieroglyphic Cicada (aka Neocicada hieroglyphica) anchored to the bark of a tree in the heart of the New Jersey Pine Barrens!

Zoom in!!

IMG_0275 Inside Neocicada Exuvia

Can you see the holes that once supported the legs of the cicada? See the thin, white filaments? Those were its breathing tubes. Imagination time! Compare a cicada to a deep sea diver or astronaut. A cicada’s old nymphal skin aka shell, husk or officially an exuvia, supported its body during its long journey through the underground — and then one day, one moment, it left its old skin to face the aboveground world as an adult, winged, brave and daring (this is my blog and I will personify cicadas if I like) cicada.

Science fiction writers and artists could draw inspiration from the cicada’s temporary, underground skin survival suit. Imagine the nymph phase as a miner tunneling through the soils an exotic planet looking for precious jewels — once it finds its treasure, it leaves the tunnels, peels off it’s “dirt suit”, spreads out its wing pack and escapes from the terror of underground mole creatures or sentient fungi. I’ll leave it to you to write your own cicada-inspired adventure.

This post was semi-fictional (some will get that joke).

Categories
Neotibicen

It would not be summer in New Jersey without Swamp Cicadas (Neotibicen tibicen tibicen)

Cicadas are a key atmospheric element of summertime in New Jersey (and most States for that matter). Whether you realize it or not, the daytime summer soundtrack of your yard, parks and hiking trails includes the song of cicadas. Cicadas rule the day and crickets and katydids rule the night. At dusk and dawn they trade places, keeping the sounds of the 24-hour nature club pumping. There’s a species of cicada in the eastern United States called the Morning Cicada, because it sings in the Morning. It is also known as a Swamp Cicada, but you can find them just about anywhere, not just Swamps. Their scientific taxonomic name is Neotibicen tibicen tibicen. Tibicen means “a flute player” in Latin, which makes sense as cicadas are musical creatures.

Every summer I witness the nighttime emergence and molting of dozens of these Swamp Cicadas. After dusk I check the ground for the movement of brown acorn-sized nymphs, which emerge from holes in the ground near trees and somehow find their way to a vertical surface — usually a tree trunk. After 10pm, they’ve usually found a branch or bark to lock their claws into. Then they start their molting process — splitting their old skin, pushing their way out, re-arranging their face so their eyes sit wide apart, and inflating and hardening their wings. When they first molt, their bodies are mostly green, with hits of blue, pink and yellowish hues. There eyes are most-often emerald green, but they can include blends of green and blue, all the way to a dark jade green. After some time, their colors darken, but they always retain the green color in their wings and legs (another name for them is Chloromera, which means green thighs in Greek).

This cicada has successfully molted and has moved its wings into the shape of a tent, partially enclosing its body:
IMG_0461 Neotibicen molted

This male cicada, has just molted and is still clinging to its old skin. Its wings are not in the tent position yet:
IMG_0754 Molted Neotibicen tibicen male

This female cicada, has just molted and has just started to inflate its wings.
IMG_0882 Morning Molted

This cicada is still wearing its nymph skin. It decided to stop atop some sticky sap. I checked back later — it molted without getting stuck:
IMG_0947 Nymph Swamp

This cicada is halfway out of its old skin. Lots of green and blue:
IMG_0950 Swamp Molting

This female cicada is backlit by my camera light. You can see through its old skin:
IMG_1048 Lit Up

Categories
Arts & Crafts

Two Cicada Sculptures at Skylands Museum of Art in Lafayette, NJ

I was driving around Sussex County, New Jersey back in July looking for interesting “attractions near me” (the phrase I put into Google maps), when I came across the search result for the Skylands Museum of Art in Lafayette, NJ. In the result there was a huge sculpture of a cicada! Considering that I am a fan (some say maniac) of cicadas, I drove to the museum to check it out.

The Skylands Museum of Art is located at 15 Route 15 Lafayette, NJ 07848. The website for the museum is https://www.skylandsmuseum.org. It has 3 floors and 9 rooms of sculptures and fine art paintings, including several cicada sculptures. I recommend that everyone visit the museum, not just cicada enthusiasts — it is truly a “gem” in the heart of Sussex County.

The cicada sculpture that drew me to the museum is by sculptor Gina Miccinilli and it is called “Sacada”. Imagine a human-sized cicada with purple wings, filling the museum wall. Take a look at the photos below:

IMG_0805 Gina Miccinilli cicada sculpture

IMG_0835 Gina Miccinilli

There were other cicada sculptures on the museum grounds, including a large, bronze cicada by Ailene Fields. See the photos below:

IMG_0843 Ailene Fields

IMG_0844 Ailene Fields

Categories
Japan Toys and Amusements

Cicada Nymph + Molted Cicada Stuffed Animal / Plushie might be the best cicada gift ever

This “stuffed animal” / plushy cicada nymph + molted cicada might be the best cicada gift ever. Why?? It is two cicadas in one! It is a nymph that unzips to reveal an adult cicada! The adult cicada is in its soft aka teneral state. Very detailed and thoughtful on the part of its creators. The website that offers it is in Japan, so you might have trouble ordering it (unless you are in Japan). I bet it is high demand!

Nymph Plush

Nymph Plush

Nymph Plush

Some details from the site (translated by Google Chrome, so there might be errors):

A cicada made from a cicada’s exoskeleton! A stuffed animal.
☆Can hatch in a reversible form!
☆Huge size!
Selling price 3,520 yen (tax included)
Category Insect plush toys
Manufacturer Eisho Co., Ltd.
[A cicada made from a cicada’s exoskeleton! A stuffed toy]
This is a reversible plush toy featuring a cicada emerging from its molted exoskeleton.
The larva is incredibly realistic with its intricate details, and its big, round eyes are adorable!

Categories
Fireworks U.S.A.

Fourth of July / Independence Day in the U.S. means Summer Cicadas

First, of all, over on the Facebook page we shared Annette DeGiovine’s 4th of July Magicicada image:

“Oh, I don’t have a Facebook”. I don’t know what to tell you. Send your parents to Facebook and have them download the photo for you. I am not in love with the site either, but it allows me to stay in touch with cicada fans and share the cicada message. There is also the Facebook Cicada Science and Discussion Group — a group I created and can moderate, but Facebook as banned me from posting to.

Check out my Cicada Fireworks posts from previous years. Fireworks makers often name fireworks after cicadas because they both “fly” and “SCREAMMMM”.

Lastly, now that we’re in July, it is time for Summer Cicadas in the U.S.A! Any Magicicada stragglers are gone, and Platypedia (the fisherman’s friend) and tiny Cicadettana have peaked. It’s time for the big Megatibicen and Neotibicen species to take the stage. Here’s a list of the most-common cicadas in the U.S.A. with photos and sounds for easy identification.

Categories
Brood II Magicicada Periodical Stragglers

Notes on Brood II Stragglers in New Jersey 2026

Magicicada periodical cicadas often emerge one or four years earlier or later than their main brood is expected to emerge. When they do, we call them precursors or stragglers (the most common name in scientific literature). This behavior is natural and expected, and how Magicicada have branched off into new broods over the millennia.

This year we expected members of Brood II to straggle 4-years early in New Jersey and other states. I was able to observe Magicicada straggling behavior in Metuchen, Edison, Fanwood, Scotch Plains and Mountainside, New Jersey. Looking at iNaturalist, 12 people observed them in Jersey.

A teneral Magicicada septendecim.
A teneral Magicicada septendecim. ©

In Metuchen, I observed Pharaoh (Magicicada septendecim) cicada nymphs emerging from the ground and molting. I observed a nymph with Massospora fungus. In Edison, at Roosevelt Park, along with cicada super-fans Elias Bonaros and Cameron Marietta, I observed Magicicada cassinii emerging and molting. In Mountainside, at the Watchung Reserve, I saw exit holes and heard a Pharaoh “long calling”, which they do when they’re having difficulty finding a mate (because there are few females around to mate with (because they’re stragglers)).

A teneral Magicicada septendecim. ©
Magicicada septendecim. ©

I accompanied cicada expert John Cooley, his daughter, and Elias Bonaros to look for signs of stragglers in Metuchen, Edison, Fanwood and Scotch Plains. We observed exit holes and exuvia (molted nymph skins) in all locations. John Cooley recorded data on exit hole density and exuvia.

It is worth noting that the mythical Brood XV in Fanwood, New Jersey seems to be just Brood II stragglers.

All things considered, the chance to observe straggling Magicicada was a rare treat, and now I have a reason to live until 2030 when the rest of Brood II will emerge.

Here’s a compilation of 2026 video from New Jersey:

Here’s a video of a Magicicada septemdecim long-calling in the Watchung Reservation:

Categories
Living Underground Neotibicen

A Cicada and a Herkimer Diamond

Cicadas spend most of their lives tunneling through soil. Herkimer Diamonds — doubly terminated quartz crystals — are found in the soil of Herkimner, New York. Sometimes they’re found together.

Last weekend I met a Herkimer diamond prospector Just Herks at a local rock and mineral show. She had this photo of a cicada nymph with a Herkimer diamond:

Cicada and a Herkimer DiamondPhoto © Just Herks.

She said she takes special care not to harm the cicadas she encounters while mining. The cicada looks like a cicada belonging to the genus Neotibicen, and based on what I am seeing iNaturalist, it’s probably a Neotibicen canicularis aka Dog Day cicada.

Be sure to look out for cicada nymphs while you are prospecting for rocks and minerals, gardening, digging foundations or other subterranean activities. Treat the cicadas you encounter with care.

Categories
Brood II Magicicada Periodical Periodical Stragglers

In search of Brood XV (15)

Am I part of Brood XV?

Update (6/10/2026): As much as I would love to say that there is a Brood XV in the Fanwood, New Jersey area, it appears that Magicicada cicadas appearing in 2026 are members of Brood II emerging 4-years early. We did find holes and exuvia (skins) in the Fanwood area (see iNaturalist), but no adult cicadas and no singing. There were no massive numbers of cicadas, singing, mating, and ovipositing. Brood XV is a myth based on Brood II straggling.

Magicicada periodical cicadas are categorized into broods (see brood chart). Each brood has a unique 17 or 13-year interval of time where cicadas hatch, burrow into soil, tunnel underground feeding off roots for 99% of their life, emerge as nymphs, molt, fly, gather, scream, and reproduce.

Brood II has been emerging every 17 years possibly for millennia. The last times it emerged was in 2013, 1996, 1979, 1962… minus 17 years … back as far as we know. The next time Brood II cicadas will emerge is in 2030.

Sometimes broods “straggle” though. A number of Magicicada will emerge four years earlier than expected, deviating and potentially breaking away from the rest of the brood. In theory, if stragglers are abundant enough, they can form what is called a “shadow brood”, as long as their offspring survive and perpetually reproduce. A shadow brood of Brood II, based on 4-year stragglers, would become Brood XV(15), and would emerge in 2026. There’s more information about stragglers and “spurious broods” on the UCONN Cicada site.

This year, 2026, while we’re looking for 4-year Brood II stragglers we will also look for evidence of an established Brood XV. There are credible reports by cicada researchers Chris Simon and Elias Bonaros that Brood XV may exist in New Jersey in Union County, specifically Fanwood, NJ. Conceivably, an instance of Brood XV could form anywhere Brood II exists — if you’re in Brood II territory, expect the unexpected.

We will definitely be looking for Brood XV this spring. Update: UCONN is referring to this possible brood as Brood XV (Shadow).

So, how can we tell that there is a legitimate Brood XV in place rather than ordinary Brood II stragglers? The key will be the abundance of cicadas. A Brood XV population should resemble a typical on-schedule Brood II population: hundreds to thousands of shed skins (exuvia), hundreds to thousands of adults, chorusing and not just individuals singing alone, noticeable mating and egg laying; a Brood XV should last 2-4 weeks. Ordinary Brood II stragglers should arrive in far fewer numbers: dozens per acre not thousands, individual songs but no choruses, little to no mating or egg laying; birds should pick off most of the stragglers so they will not last long. While it is possible to have a pure straggling event that seems full brood emergence event (see Princeton in 2017 for Brood X stragglers), most of the time you’ll find one or two adults per suburban yard.

Here are some related comments from way back in 2009 discussing Brood II stragglers and a possible Brood XV:

Our NJ town (30 miles west of Manhattan) is covered in Magicicadas. Can they be straggers when the entire town is covered in them? Here are some photos I took today: Photo Album

Comment by Charlene — May 22, 2009 [AT] 6:49 pm

Charlene, yes, they’re stragglers even though there are so many. They’re stragglers by virtue of the fact that they’re arriving 4 years early.

Comment by Dan — May 22, 2009 [AT] 7:02 pm

Thanks to Charlene’s post I went to Fanwood. found 7 tenerals and captured one nymph which will eclose here in the comfort of my home. Heard some light M. septendecim choruses. did not see any M. cassini or M. septendecula. Some trees where covered with at least 100 exuvia. Some had none. The question is have we seen the maximum yet or is it just starting? Please keep an eye out for further emergence sites here in the North East.

Comment by Elias — May 25, 2009 [AT] 1:10 pm

Update on my mini colony that is being kept alive in a Butterfly pavilion. One young male started to sing today. The amplitude is very low. Also a female in the cage responded with wing flick signalling. Brought home 8 from New jersey, 6 still alive. Today is Day #4. Next couple of days may need to look in Staten island or back to Fanwood. Anyone have any other reports? I know the weather is terrible. We need some sunshine!!

Comment by Elias — May 28, 2009 [AT] 8:17 pm

Notes:

  • It is theorized that all broods are shadow broods of another brood. Brood II <-- Brood VI <-- Brood X <-- Brood XIV. When Magicicada straggle in enormous numbers they can form new broods offset by 4 or 1 years, which is why we have 13-year broods (mostly in the warmer south) and 17-year broods (mostly in the colder, glacier-prone north) with the difference being 4 years. Read: K S Williams, C Simon. 1995. The Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution of Periodical Cicadas. Annual Review Entomology. 40:269-295. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.en.40.010195.001413
  • Broods are named and numbered using Roman Numerals. C.L. Marlatt devised this naming convention. The letter I = 1, II = 2, III = 3, IV = 4, V = 5, VI = 6, VII = 7, VIII = 8, IX = 9, X = 10, XIII = 13, XIV = 14, XIX = 19, XXII = 22, XXIII = 23. 17-year broods are named I-XVII (1-17) and 13-year broods are named XVIII-XXX (18-30), though many do not exist.
  • 17-year broods, twelve exist (I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XIII, XIV), one is extinct (XI) and four missing broods (XII, XV, XVI, XVII) either never existed or went extinct before recorded history.
  • Of the thirteen possible 13-year broods, three exist (XIX, XXII, XXIII), one is extinct (XXI) and nine either never existed or went extinct (XVIII, XX, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII, XXIX, XXX)
  • Only a pair of 13-year and 17-year broods can emerge in the same year. XIII and XIX co-emerged in 2024.Two or more 17-year broods cannot emerge in the same year. Two or more 13-year broods cannot emerge in the same year.
  • Whenever I write about brood numbering or the fact that 17 and 13 are prime numbers, I feel like Scott Steiner explaining the mathematic possibility of beating him.
Categories
Brood II Magicicada Periodical Stragglers

2026 Brood II Straggler game plan

Brood II, a brood of Magicicada found in Connecticut, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania and Virginia, is set to emerge in the year 2030, but some Brood II stragglers will emerge in 2026.

Update (6/12/2026): Oklahoma (link to iNaturalist post) and Virginia (link to iNaturalist post) had enough emerge to both survive and chorus — which is a sign that they’ll mate and reproduce. The 2026 Magicicada Stragglers project shows 753 observations to date. Virginia had the most stragglers observations by a wide margin at 414. New Jersey was next with 61, the North Carolina with 57, and New York with 52.

GET READY! If you had an abundance of cicadas back in 2013, you are likely to find a handful in your yard in 2026.

If you see or hear one, report it using the iNaturalist app or website or using the Cicada Safari app. Share your observations on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, X, Bluesky and YouTube. You can use the hashtag #BroodII. Chat about them on the Facebook Cicada Discussion Group.

Straggler Watch

What is a straggler? A straggler is a periodical cicada that emerges later or earlier than expected. Magicicada often emerge 4 years earlier than expected. You can also call them “precursors” when they emerge earlier.

When to look for stragglers?

  • Stragglers will emerge in the spring sometime between late April and May.
  • Their emergence will be triggered by the warming of the soil where they live. When the soil gets to be approximately 64°F eight inches deep, they will emerge. Air temperatures in the 70s and 80s warm the soil. Warm rain helps as well. Read more about that.
  • Tip: We usually don’t see them emerge until the trees have leaves and purple iris bloom.

You can also look for cicada chimneys or tunneling cicadas under logs, slates or rocks in April and early May. Look, observe, but do not disturb them.

A cicada chimney is an elevated exit cicadas build above their tunnels:
Cicada Chimney Metuchen Brood II

Where to look for stragglers?

Check this map on the UCONN website. That is where Brood II last emerged.

Hot spots from 2013:

Stragglers found in 2026: Stragglers found

Connecticut (CT)

  • Meriden, CT

New Jersey (NJ)

  • Berkeley Heights, NJ
  • Colonia, NJ
  • Edison, NJ (Roosevelt Park) Stragglers found
  • Flat Rock Brood Nature Center, NJ
  • Iselin, NJ
  • Lewis Morris Park, NJ
  • Maplewood in Essex County, NJ
  • Metuchen, NJ Stragglers found
  • Millburn, NJ
  • Montclair, NJ
  • Mountainside, NJ Stragglers found
  • Plainfield, NJ
  • Scotch Plans, NJ Stragglers found
  • Upper Montclair, NJ
  • West Milford, NJ
  • Westfield, NJ Stragglers found

There might be a “shadow brood”, Brood XV, around the Fanwood, NJ area. This would be a brood established from Brood II stragglers, with a large enough of a population to breed and sustain a new brood offset 4 years from Brood II. We will see.

New York (NY)

  • Cornwall-On Hudson, NY Stragglers found
  • Fishkill, NY Stragglers found
  • Germantown, NY Stragglers found
  • Red Hook, NY Stragglers found
  • Rhinebeck, NY Stragglers found
  • Staten Island, NY Stragglers found
  • Stony Point, NY Stragglers found

North Carolina (NC)

  • Madison, NC Stragglers found
  • Yadkin County, NC Stragglers found

Oklahoma (OK)

  • Oklahoma City, OK Stragglers found

Virginia (VA)

  • Brentsville, VA
  • Charlottesville, VA Stragglers found
  • Doylesville, VA
  • Fredericksburg, VA Stragglers found
  • Front Royal, VA
  • Glen Allen, VA
  • Kinderhook, VA
  • Lake Ridge, VA Stragglers found
  • Louisa County, VA
  • Manassas Battlefield Park, VA Stragglers found
  • Martinsville, VA Stragglers found
  • North Garden, VA
  • Rhoadesville, VA
  • Springfield, VA Stragglers found
  • Stafford County, VA Stragglers found
  • Stanardsville, VA
  • Woodbridge, VA

What do they look like?

They look like this once they’ve molted:
Magicicada
Red eyes (typically), black bodies, orange-black legs and orange-yellow wings.

Nymphs that have recently emerged from the ground:
Can I give you a hand _Magicicada nymphs in Metuchen NJ_

This is each major stage in their life cycle:
Top, Left to Right: cicada egg, freshly hatched nymph, second and third instar nymphs. Bottom, Left to Right: fourth instar nymph, teneral adult, adult. (Photos by Roy Troutman and Elias Bonaros).
Top, Left to Right: cicada egg, freshly hatched nymph, second and third instar nymphs. Bottom, Left to Right: fourth instar nymph, teneral adult, adult. (Photos by Roy Troutman and Elias Bonaros).

There are 3 types/species of Magicicada in Brood II: Magicicada cassini, Magicicada septendecim, and Magicicada septendecula.

Left to right: Magicicada cassini, Magicicada septendecula, Magicicada septendecim::
Left to right: Magicicada cassini, Magicicada septendecula, Magicicada septendecim: