Neotibicen superbus photo by Sloan Childers from 2005. Round Rock, Texas.
February 29, 2020
Vince Matson’s Neotibicen tibicen photos from 2005
Vince Matson’s Neotibicen tibicen photos from 2005. Back in 2005 we called them Tibicen chloromerus. Location unknown.
September 3, 2018
Looking for adult cicadas at night
Nighttime is often the best time to find cicadas.
Nymphs, generally speaking, emerge soon after sunset. When I look for nymphs, I wait until sunset and start looking around tree roots and on tree trunks. Sometimes it takes hours, but usually, I find one (or many).
Cicada Nymph:
Adult cicadas are easiest to find on hot, humid nights in well-lit areas like parking lots and the sides of buildings. You will find them clinging to illuminated walls and crawling on sidewalks. They end up on the ground, often because they fly into the wall and stun themselves. On a hot humid night — 85F or above — I’ll find an excuse (usually frozen desserts) to check the walls of the local supermarket for cicadas.
Cicadas, like many insects, are attracted to (or confused by) lights. There are many theories as to why insects are attracted to lights, and the reasons why probably vary by species. My guess (and this is just a guess) is that cicadas can’t tell day from night, or daylight (sun) from artificial lights, and so they think they’re using light to navigate away from a dark area (a tree trunk, dense brush), and then get very confused because they never seem to get anywhere once they reach the source of the light. I wish I could ask a cicada why.
Prime nighttime cicada location: a well-lit building and macadam parking lot:
Cicadas can damage their skin and innards by fling into and bouncing off walls:
A Neotibicen tibicen clinging to a cinderblock wall:
A Megatibicen auletes crawling on an illuminated sidewalk:
If you go looking for cicadas at night, make sure you have permission to be where you plan to look. Don’t trespass, and have respect for other people’s property.
August 26, 2018
Tips for making a time-lapse video of a cicada molting
Time-lapse videos of insects molting can be as visually fascinating as they are scientifically important. Cicadas are amongst the best insect subjects for time-lapse because they’re relatively large, and depending on where you live, easy to find.
Equipment you’ll need for your time-lapse video:
- Lights. I use cheap LED and fluorescent lights. Not enough light and you’ll end up with a grainy video. Too much light and you’ll over-expose the subject and miss some important details. You’ll need a stand or tripod for your lights as well.
- A tripod for your camera. You want your camera to be as steady as possible. Hand-holding the camera is not recommended. The molting process takes hours.
- A camera. Some cameras have a Time-Lapse mode, but you could also take a photo every 30 seconds or so and use software to assemble the photos into a video. A camera with a large view screen is recommended so you can make adjustments to the lighting and framing of the insect.
- A platform for your cicada/insect. If you film outside use the tree the insect decides to molt on. If you film inside, build a structure using tree branches, or other materials the nymph can anchor onto.
- Video editing software. Free software works fine, as long as it lets you compile a series of photos into a single video.
I made my own platform out of some driftwood and a 2×4 I had lying around. Cheap but effective. Cicadas need to hang perpendicular to the ground so their wings will properly expand, so your creation needs to allow for that. A lot of people simply use a roll of paper towel.
Skills you’ll need to practice
- Patience. Unless you’re a pro who films wildlife all the time, you might need a few tries to get it right.
- Learn how to use the Time-Lapse feature of your camera.
- Learn how to light a small subject like a cicada.
- The ability to stay up late. The entire molting process can take up to 5-6 hours, especially if you want to let the cicada’s wings and body harden a bit. Coffee or tea helps (you, not the cicada).
If you’ve never tried filming a cicada molting before, you can practice lighting, focusing and using the time-lapse features of your camera with a paper model of a cicada. Just draw a cicada onto a small piece of paper, and pin it to a tree. If you know origami, even better.
Finding a specimen
I begin looking for cicada nymphs about 15 minutes after sunset. I find them at the base of trees, or ascending tree trunks. If you plan on filming indoors, or on a custom platform, treat the cicada with care. Be very gentle, and place the cicada nymph in a spacious enclosure — preferably one that allows it to grip, and hang off the side. I transport cicadas in a pop-up butterfly pavilion/habitat — these portable enclosures are made for butterflies, but they work well for other insects, like cicadas. Don’t forget to release the cicada the following day as well.
The overall process for shooting indoors
- Set up your rig: platform, lights, camera. Make sure your camera has an empty memory card in it and is charged/plugged in. Make sure all the lights are working. Place a towel or something soft at the base of the platform, in case the cicada falls (it happens).
- Collect your specimen. Bring a flashlight and a butterfly pavilion (or similar container). Gently grab the cicada nymph with your fingers and place in the container. do not collect a cicada that has already begun molting. Take some (not a lot) of tree branches with you. You can use the branches to augment your platform.
- Place the cicada at the base of the platform. Let it explore and become comfortable. Place it back at the base of the platform if it falls or wanders off.
- Once the cicada is ready to molt, it will stay still for a while. This is a good time to get your camera in focus and lights in the right position.
- The skin of the back of the nymph will split — look and listen for that. Start time-lapse filming. Example.
- Re-frame the camera as necessary to capture the cicada’s wings as they inflate.
- An hour after the cicada’s wings move into place (see that happen), you can stop filming, and place the cicada into the safety of the butterfly pavilion — or on a tree outside.
- Return the cicada to the outdoors within 12 hours.
- Use video editing software to compile the time-lapse frames into a video. I set each frame to 0.2 seconds — experiment with the times.
- Add the species of the cicada, the location where you found it, and other comments to the video.
- Share your video with friends, family and the world.
More tips:
- The process takes a long time — you might be up until 1 or 2 am in the morning. Be prepared for that.
- Film some non-time-lapse video as well. There are key moments during the molting process that happen quickly, like when the cicada pulls its abdomen from its old skin. Having a video of that is nice.
- Be prepared to adjust the framing and focus a few times during the shoot. Don’t adjust too much though — just if the cicada’s wings fall out of frame.
- The cicada will double its overall size. Its wings will hang downward. Be prepared for that when you frame the shot.
Some results:
My latest time-lapse video:
Notice how I frame the video.
A non-time-lapse detail:
A video where I used a tree branch to make the molting look more natural
September 21, 2017
2017 Cicada Summer
Today is September 21st, 2017 — the last day of Summer, in central New Jersey. Leaves of maple trees have started to turn scarlet and yellow. Oaks are dropping their acorns. The few, remaining Morning (Neotibicen tibicen tibicen) and Linne’s (Neotibicen linnei) cicadas sound decrepit and tired — like tiny breaking machines, low on fuel and oil. I found one dead Morning cicada lying on a sidewalk — its body crushed. Here in New Jersey, at least, the cicada season is all but over.
Molting Neotibicen tibicen tibicen in Little Silver, NJ. August 26st.
As cicada years go, this one had ups and downs. It wasn’t as awesome as 2016, but I can’t blame the cicadas.
Downs:
- No group cicada hunts this year. My cicada hobby is much more fun when I can share it with other people.
- A skunk took over my favorite spot for finding Morning Cicada nymphs.
- I had to go on a business trip during what would have been the best weeks for finding nymphs.
- I forgot to bring my good audio recording equipment to Titusville, NJ & Washington Crossing, PA, and only got so-so iPhone audio of the weird N. winnemanna there.
Ups:
- I found a new Megatibicen auletes location in Highlands, NJ. The location is about 50 miles north of where I usually find them.
- I found more Megatibicen auletes exuvia than ever at the Manchester, NJ location where my friends and I normally hunt for auletes. Normally I find one or two — this year I found dozens. I found no adult specimens, other than those singing in the trees at dusk.
- I did find enough exuvia & Morning cicadas that I should be happy.
Here’s some images from this summer:
Neotibicen tibicen tibicen with bad wing. The indigo color is fascinating. August 9th.
A Neotibicen tibicen tibicen found during a lunchtime stroll. September 1st.
A female Neotibicen canicularis or maybe pink N. linnei found in Little Silver, NJ. August 25th.
You’ll find more activity on the Facebook page, Twitter, and Instagram.
And last, the most popular post on the Cicada Mania Facebook page:
July 9, 2017
Scissors Grinders
Back in the day — 1970s and earlier — people would sharpen scissors, knives, and tools rather than throw them out and buy new ones. A scissors grinder was a person who would sharpen your scissors for you. They used an abrasive wheel to grind your scissors sharp. The sound of the metal of a scissor gliding across the sharpening stone made a unique sound — a sound used to describe the sound some cicadas make.
These days (2017 when I wrote this article) scissors grinders are not a common sight or sound, but a few cicadas still have a common name referring to the scissor grinding days of yore. A few, but not all, are also Dusk Singers.
Neotibicen latifasciatus aka Coastal Scissor(s) Grinder Cicada. Found in FL, MD, NJ, NC, VA. Season: June – Fall. A day singer found along the coast.
N. latifasciatus Call*:
Neotibicen pruinosus pruinosus aka Scissor(s) Grinder. Found in AL, AR, CO, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WV, WI. Season: June – September. Neotibicen pruinosus fulvus aka Pale Scissor(s) Grinder Cicada. Found in: KS, OK. Season: June – September. A Dusk Singer, very much like N. winnemanna but predominately west of the Appalachian mountains.
N. pruinosus Call*:
Neotibicen winnemanna aka Eastern Scissor(s) Grinder. Found in AL, DE, DC, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV. Season: June – Fall. A Dusk Singer, very much like N. pruinosus but predominately east of the Appalachian mountains.
N. winnemanna Call*:
It’s worth mentioning two similar cicadas, that don’t bear the “Scissors Grinder” name, but either sound similar or hybridize with Scissor Grinders.
Neotibicen robinsonianus aka Robinson’s Annual Cicada or Robinson’s Cicada. This cicada’s call is similar to Scissor Grinders in rhythm, but it has a duller sound/lower pitch (IMHO). Maybe it should be called the “Dull Scissor Grinder” (that is a joke). Found: AL, AR, DC, FL, GA, IN, KS, MD, MS, MO, NC, OH, PA, TN, TX, VA. Season: June-Fall.
N. robinsonianus Call*:
Neotibicen linnei aka Linne’s Cicada sounds nothing like the Scissors Grinders, but it is known to hybridize with Scissor Grinders. Found: AL, AR, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, NJ, NY, NC, OH, ON, PA, SC, TN, VT, VA, WV, WI. Season: June – fall.
You might hear a hybrid Scissors Grinder with a call that features part of an N. Linnei call!
A pure (non hybrid) N. linnei Call for reference*:
The five cicadas mentioned on this page are part of a group informally known as the Green Neotibicen. They are closely genetically related.
*Audio files are Copyright of InsectSingers.com. Season information gathered from BugGuide.net.
July 5, 2017
The Dusk Singers
Dusk is the time of day between sunset and night. Many species of Megatibicen & Neotibicen (formerly Tibicen) sing at this time. I’m not sure why they sing at this time — perhaps it helps them avoid audio competition with other singing insects, or perhaps it helps them avoid predators by calling at this specific time of the day.
If you find yourself outdoors in the eastern half of the U.S. after sunset and hear a cicada call, it is likely one of the following Megatibicen or Neotibicen species:
Megatibicen
Megatibicen are LARGE and LOUD cicadas.
Megatibicen auletes aka the Northern Dusk Singing Cicada. This cicada can be found in these states: AL, AR, CT, DE, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MD, MA, MI, MS, MO, NE, NJ, NY, NC, OH, OK, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV, WI. Season: July to Fall.
M. auletes Call*:
Megatibicen figuratus aka the Fall Southeastern Dusk-singing Cicada. Found in: AL, AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA. Season: July to Fall.
M. figuratus Call*:
Megatibicen resh aka Resh Cicada aka Western Dusk Singing Cicada. Found in: AR, KS, LA, MS, NE, OK, SC, TN, TX. Season: July to Fall.
M. resh Call*:
Megatibicen resonans aka Southern Resonant/Great Pine Barrens Cicada aka Southern Dusk Singing Cicada. Found in AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX, VA. Season: July to Fall.
M. resonans Call*:
Neotibicen
Medium-sized, green cicadas with calls that sound like the rhythmic grinding of a scissor on a sharpening wheel (not a common tool in the 21st century).
Neotibicen pruinosus pruinosus aka Scissor(s) Grinder. Found in AL, AR, CO, IL, IN, IA, KS, KY, LA, MI, MN, MS, MO, NE, OH, OK, SC, SD, TN, TX, VA, WV, WI. Season: June – September. Neotibicen pruinosus fulvus aka Pale Scissor(s) Grinder Cicada. Found in: KS, OK. Season: June – September.
N. pruinosus Call*:
Neotibicen winnemanna aka Eastern Scissor(s) Grinder. Found in AL, DE, DC, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, NJ, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV. Season: June – Fall.
N. winnemanna Call*:
*Audio files are Copyright of InsectSingers.com. Season information gathered from BugGuide.net.
June 24, 2017
Dog Day Cicadas
Photo credit: N. canicularis (Dog-Day cicada) and N. davisi (Southern Dog-Day cicada) by Paul Krombholz. N. superbus by Sloan Childers.
Dog-day cicada is the common name given to Tibicen (now Neotibicen) type cicadas in North America. These cicadas are called “Dog Day” because they are typically observed during the “Dog Days of Summer“, which fall somewhere between late July to early September, or once the “Dog Star” Sirius appears in the morning sky. All Neotibicen species are present during the month of August in North America.
Dog-day cicadas are known for their green, brown, black & white coloration that provides them with excellent camouflage in the trees they inhabit.
Dog-day cicada is used generally to describe most Neotibicen, but a few species are explicitly named Dog-day:
- Neotibicen canicularis aka the Dog-day cicada. Canicularis is Latin for “of the dog star”, and the dog star is Sirius. Found in AR, CT, DC, IL, IN, IA, KS, ME, MB, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, NE, NB, NH, NJ, NY, NC, ND, NS, OH, ON, PA, PE, QC, RI, SC, SD, TN, VT, VA, WV, WI. Season: August-October.
- Neotibicen davisi, aka the Southern Dog-day cicada. There are two sub-species. Found in AL, DE, DC, FL, GA, LA, MD, MA, MS, NJ, NY, NC, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV. Season: July-October.
- Neotibicen superbus aka the Superb Dog-day cicada. Found in AR, KS, LA, MO, NM, OK, TX. Season: June-August.
- Neotibicen auriferus, aka the Plains Dog-day Cicada. Found in AR, KS, MO, NE, NM, OK, TX. Season: July-September.
- Neotibicen similaris, aka Similar Dog-Day Cicada. Found in AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, SC. Season: June-September.
Photo credit: Neotibicen superbus by Sloan Childers
These cicadas do not actually appear the moment Sirius rises, and when they do appear depends on your location and the weather. Neotibicen canicularis will appear in Arkansas before it appears in Quebec. That said, if you are curious when Sirius will rise in your area, search for “heliacal rising of sirius” — it varies about a day per degree of latitude. Neotibicen, depending on the species, can be found from May to December (December in Florida), but all Neotibicen species are present during the month of August in North America.
May 31, 2017
Neotibicen similaris apalachicola, a new cicada subspecies
A new subspecies of the Similar Dog-Day Cicada has been described in the paper A new Neotibicen cicada subspecies (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from the southeastern USA forms hybrid zones with a widespread relative despite a divergent male calling song by David C. Marshall and Kathy B. R. Hill (Zootaxa, Vol 4272, No 4). The cicada is named Neotibicen similaris apalachicola.
This cicada lives in Florida, Georgia & Alabama, and hybridizes with the other Similar Dog-Day Cicada sub-speces, Neotibicen similaris similaris. The document is available on biotaxa.org.
A morphologically cryptic subspecies of Neotibicen similaris (Smith and Grossbeck) is described from forests of the Apalachicola region of the southeastern United States. Although the new form exhibits a highly distinctive male calling song, it hybridizes extensively where it meets populations of the nominate subspecies in parapatry, by which it is nearly surrounded. This is the first reported example of hybridization between North American nonperiodical cicadas. Acoustic and morphological characters are added to the original description of the nominate subspecies, and illustrations of complex hybrid song phenotypes are presented. The biogeography of N. similaris is discussed in light of historical changes in forest composition on the southeastern Coastal Plain.
You will find song samples and maps on the Insect Singers website.
I think this is an image of the new cicada:
10 papers were published in Zootaxa 4272 (4) today. https://t.co/dYs3svySHT pic.twitter.com/3mDpKe5uqR
— Zootaxa updates (@Zootaxa) May 31, 2017
December 4, 2016
Gigatibicen, Ameritibicen, Paratibicen
For some reason I associate “Giga” with “Gigabytes” and storage media like Flash drives, which explains this joke image.
Over the past two years there have been quite a few updates to the genera of the cicadas that were organized under the Tibicen genus earlier this decade.
The most recent paper by Young June Lee introduces the genera Gigatibicen, Ameritibicen, and Paratibicen 1. Earlier this year there was a paper by Allen Sanborn and Maxine Heath that introduced the genus Megatibicen 3, and in 2015 there was a paper by Kathy Hill and others that introduced Neotibicen and Hadoa 2.
See the end of the article for links to these papers, and related articles on CicadaMania.com.
The table below shows the names/synonyms (sub species have been removed to keep the table compact):
| (Tibicen circa 2014) | Hill (2015)2 | Sanborn, Heath (2016)3 | Lee (2016)1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tibicen auletes | Neotibicen auletes | Megatibicen auletes | Gigatibicen auletes |
| Tibicen auriferus | Neotibicen auriferus | no change | no change |
| Tibicen canicularis | Neotibicen canicularis | no change | no change |
| Tibicen cultriformis | Neotibicen cultriformis | Megatibicen cultriformis | Ameritibicen cultriformis |
| Tibicen davisi davisi | Neotibicen davisi | no change | no change |
| Tibicen dealbatus | Neotibicen dealbatus | Megatibicen dealbatus | Ameritibicen dealbatus |
| Tibicen dorsatus | Neotibicen dorsatus | Megatibicen dorsatus | Ameritibicen dorsatus |
| Tibicen figuratus | Neotibicen figuratus | Megatibicen figuratus | Ameritibicen figuratus |
| Tibicen latifasciatus | Neotibicen latifasciatus | no change | no change |
| Tibicen linnei | Neotibicen linnei | no change | no change |
| Tibicen lyricen engelhardti | Neotibicen lyricen | no change | no change |
| Tibicen pronotalis pronotalis | Neotibicen pronotalis | Megatibicen pronotalis | Ameritibicen pronotalis |
| Tibicen pruinosus fulvus | Neotibicen pruinosus | no change | no change |
| Tibicen resh | Neotibicen resh | Megatibicen resh | Gigatibicen resh |
| Tibicen resonans | Neotibicen resonans | Megatibicen resonans | Gigatibicen resonans |
| Tibicen robinsonianus | Neotibicen robinsonianus | no change | no change |
| Tibicen similaris | Neotibicen similaris | no change | Paratibicen similaris |
| Tibicen superbus | Neotibicen superbus | no change | no change |
| Tibicen tibicen australis | Neotibicen tibicen | no change | no change |
| Tibicen tremulus | Neotibicen tremulus | Megatibicen tremulus | Ameritibicen tremulus |
| Tibicen winnemanna | Neotibicen winnemanna | no change | no change |
| Tibicen bifidus | Hadoa bifida | no change | no change |
| Tibicen chiricahua | Hadoa chiricahua | no change | no change |
| Tibicen duryi | Hadoa duryi | no change | no change |
| Tibicen inauditus | Hadoa inaudita | no change | no change |
| Tibicen longioperculus | Hadoa longiopercula | no change | no change |
| Tibicen neomexicensis | Hadoa neomexicensis | no change | no change |
| Tibicen parallelus | Hadoa parallela | no change | no change |
| Tibicen simplex | Hadoa simplex | no change | no change |
| Tibicen texanus | Hadoa texana | no change | no change |
| Tibicen townsendii | Hadoa townsendii | no change | no change |
- 1 Lee, Y.J. 2016. Description of three new genera, Paratibicen, Gigatibicen, and Ameritibicen, of Cryptotympanini (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) and a key to their species Journal of Asia-Pacific Biodiversity, Volume 9, Issue 4, 1 December 2016, Pages 448—454. Link to Paper.
- 2 Hill, et al. 2015. Molecular phylogenetics, diversification, and systematics of Tibicen Latreille 1825 and allied cicadas of the tribe Cryptotympanini, with three new genera and emphasis on species from the USA and Canada (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadidae), Zootaxa, Volume 3985, Issue 2, Pages 219—251. Link to Paper
- 3 Sanborn A.F., Heath, M.S. 2016. Megatibicen n. gen., a new North American cicada genus (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadinae: Cryptotympanini), Zootaxa, Volume 4168, Issue 3. Link to Paper
- What is Megatibicen?!
- Major Changes to the Tibicen genera
- Catalogue of the Cicadoidea by Allen F Sanborn has the complete history of names/synonyms of these species and genera pre 2014.
