Cicada Mania

Dedicated to cicadas, the most amazing insects in the world.

October 17, 2023

Roy Troutman’s 2013 Brood II cicada photos, gallery 3

When Roy Troutman visited New Jersey and New York in 2013 for Brood II he took a lot of great cicada photos.

Here is a sample of the best.
Click the images for a larger version.
Also visit Gallery #1 and Gallery #2.

Magicicada molting by Roy Troutman
Magicicada molting by Roy Troutman

Magicicada with exuvia by Roy Troutman
Magicicada with exuvia by Roy Troutman

Mustard eyed Magicicada septendecim by Roy Troutman
Mustard eyed Magicicada septendecim by Roy Troutman

Roy Troutman and Elias Bonaros at the Periodical Cicada display at the American Museum of Natural History, photo by Michelle Troutman
Roy Troutman, John Cooley, Ed Johnson and Dan Mozgai

Roy Troutman, John Cooley, Ed Johnson and Dan Mozgai
Roy Troutman and Elias Bonaros at the Periodical Cicada display at the American Museum of Natural History by Michelle Troutman

Teneral Magicada by Roy Troutman
Teneral Magicada by Roy Troutman

October 13, 2023

Neotibicen canicularis in Lakewood, NJ

Filed under: Elias Bonaros | Neotibicen | Photos & Illustrations — Tags: — Dan @ 9:35 pm

This is a series of Neotibicen canicularis Northern Dog-Day cicada photos from Lakewood, NJ taken by Elias Bonaros.

Click the photos for larger versions:

A recently molted male Neotibicen canicularis cicada:
Neotibicen canicualris eclosing in Lakewood NJ

A recently molted male Neotibicen canicularis cicada:
Neotibicen canicualris eclosing in Lakewood NJ

A molting Neotibicen canicularis cicada:
Neotibicen canicualris eclosing in Lakewood NJ

Neotibicen lyricen photo by Elias Bonaros

Filed under: Elias Bonaros | Neotibicen | Photos & Illustrations — Tags: — Dan @ 9:24 pm

This is a photo of a teneral (soft) Neotibicen lyricen cicada by Elias Bonaros.

Click the photo for a larger version:

Neotibicen lyricen

Neotibicen linnei photo by Elias Bonaros

Filed under: Elias Bonaros | Neotibicen | Photos & Illustrations — Tags: — Dan @ 9:17 pm

This is a photo by Elias Bonaros of a teneral (soft) Neotibicen linnei cicada and its exuvia (molted skin). It was taken in 2009, and knowing Elias, probably in New York or New Jersey.

Click the photo from a larger version:

Neotibicen linnei teneral and its exuvia:
Neotibicen linnei teneral and its exuvia

Cicada Killer Wasp photos by Elias Bonaros

Here are two Cicada Killer Wasp photos by Elias Bonaros. The Cicada Killer Wasp has captured a Neotibicen tibicen tibicen cicada. These photos are from 2009.

Yes, Elias is holding the wasp and cicada on has hand!

Click the image for a larger version:

Cicada Killer Wasp and Neotibicen tibicen:
Cicada Killer Wasp and Neotibicen tibicen

Cicada Killer Wasp and Neotibicen tibicen:
Cicada Killer Wasp and Neotibicen tibicen

March 28, 2020

2018 Megatibicen auletes hunt

Filed under: Elias Bonaros | Megatibicen — Tags: — Dan @ 8:14 am

Each year I go to Manchester, NJ to look for Megatibicen auletes aka Northern Dusk-Singing Cicadas. There are auletes in my zipcode, but they’re easier to find in the southern-half of New Jersey. The location is a favorite of Elias Bonaros’, and more times than not we sync-up and go auletes hunting as a team. Good times.

Two auletes are better than one:

M. auletes nymph:

M. auletes exit hole:
Neotibicen auletes exit hole

Megatibicen auletes in Manchester NJ:
Megatibicen auletes in Manchester NJ

Megatibicen auletes exuvia in Manchester NJ:
Megatibicen auletes exuvia in Manchester NJ

Megatibicen auletes climbing tree:
Megatibicen auletes climbing tree

March 7, 2020

Magicicada nymphs found by Elias, part 2

Filed under: Elias Bonaros | Magicicada | Nymphs | Periodical — Dan @ 6:02 am

Continuing from part 1, Elias Bonaros did some digging and took these photos of first and second instar Magicicada periodical cicadas on a warm winter day (March 21, 2010).

Now you know what cicadas look like when they’re underground!

Generally speaking the ones with the bulbous abdomens are second instar, and the smaller ones with the less bulbous or not bulbous abdomens are first instar.

Magicicada Nymphs found by Elias, part 1

Filed under: Elias Bonaros | Magicicada | Nymphs | Periodical — Dan @ 5:50 am

Have you every wondered what cicadas look like when they’re underground? Elias Bonaros did some digging and took these photos of first and second instar Magicicada periodical cicadas on a warm winter day (March 21, 2010). Magicicadas have 5 instars, or phases of development. Each phase has a slightly different appearance.

This is a probable second instar nymph of Magicicada septendecim (Periodical cicada) from the 2008 Brood XIV emergence. Dug up from beneath an oak tree. It was living approximately 4-6 inches from the ground surface. Temperature 70 degrees.

Elias cicada nymph

These are probable first and second instar nymphs of Magicicada septendecim (Periodical cicada) from the 2008 Brood XIV emergence. Dug up from beneath an oak tree. They were living approximately 4-6 inches from the ground surface. Temperature 70 deg.

Elias Magicicada nymphs

March 1, 2020

Okanagana rimosa exuvia photos by Elias Bonaros

Filed under: Elias Bonaros | Exuvia | Okanagana | Tibicinini — Tags: — Dan @ 9:45 am

Okanagana rimosa exuvia (skins, shells) photos by Elias Bonaros. From 2010, I believe.

Note the dark lines on the abdomen — that’s an easy way to distinguish Okanagana exuvia from other types of cicadas.

Side view

dorsal view

July 31, 2018

New paper: The periodical cicada four-year acceleration hypothesis revisited and the polyphyletic nature of Brood V

A new paper about periodical cicadas! View it: https://peerj.com/articles/5282/

“The periodical cicada four-year acceleration hypothesis revisited and the polyphyletic nature of Brood V, including an updated crowd-source enhanced map (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Magicicada)”

Authors: John R. Cooley​, Nidia Arguedas, Elias Bonaros, Gerry Bunker, Stephen M. Chiswell, Annette DeGiovine, Marten Edwards, Diane Hassanieh, Diler Haji, John Knox, Gene Kritsky, Carolyn Mills, Dan Mozgai, Roy Troutman, John Zyla, Hiroki Hasegawa, Teiji Sota, Jin Yoshimura, and Chris Simon.

Abstract:

The periodical cicadas of North America (Magicicada spp.) are well-known for their long life cycles of 13 and 17 years and their mass synchronized emergences. Although periodical cicada life cycles are relatively strict, the biogeographic patterns of periodical cicada broods, or year-classes, indicate that they must undergo some degree of life cycle switching. We present a new map of periodical cicada Brood V, which emerged in 2016, and demonstrate that it consists of at least four distinct parts that span an area in the United States stretching from Ohio to Long Island. We discuss mtDNA haplotype variation in this brood in relation to other periodical cicada broods, noting that different parts of this brood appear to have different origins. We use this information to refine a hypothesis for the formation of periodical cicada broods by 1- and 4-year life cycle jumps.

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