Cicada ManiaGenera of cicadas.
Double Drummer (Thopha saccata) photos by Kevin Lee:
This is a double drummer who got stuck whilst emerging so he never got to fly and sing.. but he still saw the light of day and was in the room with the other cicadas and had a bit of company. But if I had left it on the tree he would have been eaten alive by ants.
I’m happy to announce that we received our first Australian cicada photos of this season!!! The photos were taken by Kevin Lee, Australia’s biggest cicada maniac.
According to Kevin:
This is the season for cicadas and this year they are more proliferating that usual. Some would call it a plague but I love it.
The birds (kookaburras and magpies) are having a feast!
Double Drummer (Thopha saccata):
The Double Drummer can be found in parts of eastern Queensland and Eastern NSW, from November to early March. (Moulds, M.S.. Australian Cicadas Kennsignton: New South Wales Press, 1990, p.55)
rare green yellow Green Grocer (Cyclochila australasiae) and others:
rare green yellow Green Grocer:
Cyclochila australasiae can be found in eastern Queensland, NSW and Victoria, and most emerge in October and November (Moulds, M.S.. Australian Cicadas Kennsignton: New South Wales Press, 1990, p. 61.).
We received a report of Magicicadas being heard in the fall. Normally Magicicadas appear in the spring of course, but they might be tricked into emerging later if a dormant tree is revived.
My speculation: maybe the warm fall weather has tricked them into thinking it is spring.
I have no visual or audio evidence for you.
It’s September in the USA. The cicadas are done singing in my state (Jersey), and most of the USA. More fun next year for sure.
Thanks to Jaime for this pic of two cicadas mating:
This one I can’t figure out, mostly because it’s well dead. Sheri T. took the photo.
The yellow eyes might be due to its postmortem condition, but they do make the specimen interesting.
Brian Baldwin sent over some cicada photos for an ID. Here’s my guesses (below). If you have a more accurate guess, post it in the Comments.
Megatibicen dorsatus (formerly T. dorsata):
At first I thought T. walkeri, but now I’m leaning towards Brain’s guess of N. superbus. This would be the first superbus with a brown mesonotum that I’ve ever seen.:
Megatibicen dealbatus (formerly dealbata):
I snagged a couple of Tibicen today.
A colorful Tibicen tibicen (T. chloromerus, T. chloromera):
and a, um… lyricen, maybe (I’ve never seen one quite like this):
They were still moving a little when I took the photos.
Tom Lehmkuhl send us this photo of an uninvited house guest (Tibicen linnei):
Last night at about 9:30 PM I opened our back door to let our dog out and
thought I felt something brush against my leg while the door was open. Next
think I know my wife is screaming in the living room as a cicada is bombing
around the room like a drunk pilot! It’s amazing how big a cicada looks
when it is flying indoors, bouncing off of your walls, wings buzzing…After several passes within a few inches of my wife’s head, he (she?) came
to rest on our kitchen floor. Carefully using a small glass and a post card
I was able to capture the cicada and set it free. The next morning he was
right where I left him the night before, sitting on our porch, so it seemed
like a good opportunity to snap a photo. See attached…
Iván Jesus Torresano García sent us another 44 photos of Tibicen plebejus aka Lyristes plebejus, and several YouTube videos.
Some YouTube videos:
Momento en el que finaliza de emerger Cicada 27/June/2007.
Tibicen plebejus recién cogida del parque Forestal EntrevÃas:
Tibicen plebejus recogida del parque.Emergiendo.27/June/2007
Lyristes plebejus or Tibicen plebejus?Emerging 27/June/2007.
Here’s a cicada news cast from Spain:
Ben sent us these photos of a Megatibicen pronotalis walkeri (Walker’s Cicada) taken in Davenport, Iowa.
Note: the genus of this cicada has changed since 2007 (when this was originally posted) from Tibicen to Megatibicen.