Get it on a shirt! Guys & Gals
Here’s my entry into the popular KEEP CALM meme. “KEEP CALM they’re only 17-YEAR CICADAS”.
Category: Genera
Genera of cicadas.
A pretty green speckled cicada from North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
If you can identify the species, let us know.
Categories
The “Butterfly Cicadas”
The cicadas belonging to the tribe Gaeanini (Ambragaeana sp., Gaeana sp., and Becquartina sp.)1 are among the world’s most beautiful cicadas. These cicadas have broad, multicolored wings. Their wings beat slowly rather than vibrate quickly, allowing them to flutter like butterflies. Michel Boulard calls them “Butterfly Cicadas” 2. Watch the video of a Gaeana festiva in flight:
Behold the beautiful “Butterfly Cicadas”:
Ambragaeana ambra
photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Brown forewings with white/cream colored spots. Black hind wings with white/cream colored spots/markings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Gaeana cheni
photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Black/Brown forewings with chartreuse/yellow spots. Black and mint-green hind wings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Callogaeana festiva
Orange form of Gaeana festiva
White form of Callogaeana festiva
Orange & White form of Gaeana festiva
A photo of a living C. festiva.
Distinguishing features: Gaeana festiva come in an amazing variety of color variations. Colors include orange, yellow, white and pale green; fore and hind wings are often different colors as well. G. festiva, as Michel Boulard speculates, might be a periodical cicada, as it emerges in very large numbers 2. They might he proto-periodical as well.
Habitat: India, Southeast Asia3
Gaeana hageni
A photo of a Gaeana hageni specimen.
Distinguishing features: Chartreuse-green forewings. White hind wings. No spots (unlike most Gaeana).
Habitat: Malayan Archipelago3
Gaeana maculata
Gaeana cheni
Distinguishing features: Black wings and body with yellow spots. (Maculata means spotted.)
Habitat: India, China3
Gaeana sulphurea
A photo of a Gaeana sulphurea specimen.
Distinguishing features: Black and yellow wings & body.
Habitat: India3, Bhutan
Becquartina electa
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Dark brown forewings with striking yellow lines forming a triangle-like shape. Dark brown and yellow hind wings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Becquartina versicolor
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Dark brown forewings with red veins and striking yellow lines, sort of in the shape of the number 7. Black hind wings with white markings.
Habitat: Southeast Asia
Note: there are
References:
- Sanborn, Allen F., Phillips, Polly K. and Sites, Robert W. The Cicadas of Thailand (Hemiptera: Cicadidae). p 1.
- Boulard, Michel. 2007. The Cicadas of Thailand, General and Particular Characteristics, Volume 1. p 66,72, Plate 30.
- Distant, W.L. 1892. A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae. The Order of the Trustees of the Indian Museum of Calcutta. p 104-108.
A Tibicen by any other name would still sound as sweet…
I always wondered why Lyristes plebejus is also called Tibicen plebejus.
It seems that there is a dispute as to whether the genus Tibicen should actually be called Lyristes. A petition was made (back in the 1980s) to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, to change Tibicen to Lyristes. I learned this from the wonderful new book, The Cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae) of North America North of Mexico by Allen F. Sanborn and Maxine S. Heath (order it). I checked the ICZN website, and the petition appears to fallen off their docket of open cases. I also noticed that on European and Japanese websites, they use Lyristes.
I personally hope the genus name doesn’t change for North American species — I would have to make a lot of changes on this website. Going through the name change from Tibicen chloromera to Tibicen chloromerus to Tibicen tibcen, was bad enough.
The root of the word Tibicen is flute player, and the root of the word Lyristes is lyre — both referring to musical instruments. (Frankly I think most Tibicen sound like power tools — I don’t know Latin for Black & Decker).
BTW, this is a Lyristes plebejus (from Spain):
Photo by Iván Jesús Torresano García.
And this is a Lyristes flammatus (from Japan):
Photo by Osamu Hikino
And some day, this might be a Lyristes auletes (from North Carolina):
Photo by Erin.
Categories
Tosena Cicadas
Tosena is a genus of cicadas that can be found in the Indo-Malaya ecozone, which includes the Indian subcontinent, Southeastern Asia and southern China. Tosena cicadas have colorful wings, which rival the beauty of butterfly wings. Tosena are easily obtainable online from stores that sell insects, or ebay. The Tosena genus was first identified by Charles Jean-Baptiste Amyot & Jean Guillaume Audinet-Serville in 1843.
From A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant:
Tosena is one of the most conspicuous genera of the Cicadidae, and its species are all included in this fauna. The north-eastern districts of Continental India are its head-quarters, for here are focused some of the largest and handsomest of its species ; it is also well represented in Burma, and from thence its distribution is extended throughout the Malay Peninsula to the south, and apparently northward as far as some portions of China. In the Malayan Archipelago it is not uncommon in Sumatra, Java, and Borneo, and as I have seen representatives from Amboyna, it probably exists in other intervening islands, of which, however, we have at present no precise information.
Different types of Tosena:
Tosena albata:
Photo by Michel Chantraine.
Distinguishing features: Mustard colored pronotal collar, orange abdomen with a series of two black circular spots, and dark brown wings with one white stripe on each fore wing.
Habitat: Southeast Asia.
Tosena depicta:
Illustration from A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant.
Distinguishing features: A vibrant green pronotal collar; an orange abdomen with a series of black markings; wings are dark brown to black, with the one white stripe on each fore wing, and a white anal lobe on each hind wing.
Phantastic songs of the S.E. Asian cicadas! website has an MP3 of a T. depicta singing.
Habitat: Southeast Asia.
Tosena fasciata
Tosena fasciata by Ãlvaro Lisón Gómez Creative Commons License.
Distinguishing features: A pale orange pronotal collar; brown wings with one white stripe on each fore wing; an orange abdomen with one black spot; the the anal lobe of the hind wing appears lighter in color than the rest of the hind wing.
Habitat: Southeast Asia.
Tosena mearesiana
No photos.
Distinguishing features: See A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant
Habitat: India.
Tosena melanoptera
Photos of a live T. melanoptera.
Distinguishing features: Red eyes; white pronotal collar; pale brown stripe on dark brown fore wings.
Habitat: India & Southeast Asia.
Tosena monitvaga
No photos.
Distinguishing features: See A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant
Habitat: India.
Sources to learn more about Tosena cicadas:
- The Book Cicadas of Thailand: General and Particular Characteristics. Volume 1 by Michel Boulard. This book mentions Tosena, in particular, many times, and in general it does an excellent job of discussing the anatomy, behavior and habitat of cicadas found in Thailand.
- A Monograph of Oriental Cicadidae by W. L. Distant. (1889, Published by the Order of the Trustees of the Indian Museum of Calcutta).
- Rhynchota: Heteroptera-Homopetera ( Fauna of British India, including Ceylon and Burma ) by W. L. Distant (1906)
- The Cicadas of India Facebook page
Want to learn more about the cicadas of Singapore?
The National University of Singapore has six PDF documents about six species of cicadas living in Singapore. Each document contains photos of cicadas, and plenty of interesting information.
1) Record Of The Cicada, Purana usnani Duffels & Schouten In Singapore, With Preliminary Acoustic Analysis by Tzi Ming Leong (Nature In Singapore 2012 5: 13—17 Date Of Publication: 17 January 2012). Link: rmbr.nus.edu.sg/nis/bulletin2012/2012nis013-017.pdf.
This document features photos of the P. usnani as well as analysis of their songs.
A video of Purana usnani singing:
2) Oviposition By The Black And Scarlet Cicada, Huechys sanguinea (De Geer, 1773) In Singapore by Tzi Ming Leong and Ali bin Ibrahim (Nature In Singapore 2011 4: 303—306 Date Of Publication: 18 October 2011). Link: rmbr.nus.edu.sg/nis/bulletin2011/2011nis303-306.pdf.
Huechys sanguinea is a small but beautiful black and red cicada. This document features photos of an H. sanguinea ovipositing (laying eggs) in a tree branch.
An image of H. sanguinea, which can be found in Singapore, Thailand and other S.E. Asian countries (and often in acrylic keychains on ebay).
3) Records Of The Cicada, Chremistica umbrosa (Distant, 1904) In Singapore, With Accounts Of Its Mass Emergence by Tzi Ming Leong, Aminurashid and Benjamin P. Y-H. Lee (Nature In Singapore 2011 4: 163—175 Date Of Publication: 15 June 2011). Link: rmbr.nus.edu.sg/nis/bulletin2011/2011nis163-175.pdf.
This document features information about distribution, emergence, bio-acoustics, communal feeding, and predation.
Here’s a video of an aggregation C. umbrosa urinating and singing:
4) Records Of The Black And Golden Cicada, Huechys fusca Distant, 1892 In Singapore, With Natural History Observations by Tzi Ming Leong, Mishak Shunari, Laurence Y. K. Leong, and Sai Khoon Foo (Nature In Singapore 2011 4: 203—211 Date Of Publication: 8 July 2011). Link: rmbr.nus.edu.sg/nis/bulletin2011/2011nis203-211.pdf.
This document features information about emergence, bio-acoustics, mating, and oviposition of Huechys fusca.
A video of Huechys fusca singing:
5) Records Of The Black And Scarlet Cicada, Huechys sanguinea (De Geer) In Singapore, With Notes On Its Emergence by Ali bin Ibrahim and T. M. Leong (Nature In Singapore 2009 2: 317—322 Date Of Publication: 5 August 2009). Link: rmbr.nus.edu.sg/nis/bulletin2009/2009nis317-322.pdf.
This document features observations of Huechys sanguinea. Huechys sanguinea is a beautiful cicada.
6) The Jade-Green Cicada, Dundubia vaginata (Fabricius, 1787) In Singapore, With Notes On Emergence, Bioacoustics, And Mating by Tzi Ming Leong, Mishak Shunari, Aminurashid and Timothy D. Harvey-Samuel (Nature In Singapore 2011 4: 193—202 Date Of Publication: 5 July 2011). Link: rmbr.nus.edu.sg/nis/bulletin2011/2011nis193-202.pdf.
This document features information about emergence, bio-acoustics, and mating of Dundubia vaginata. Dundubia are known for there huge opercula (the structures on their abdomen that cover the cicada’s tympanum (tympanum are a cicada’s ear drums).
Categories
Mating Bladder cicadas
An excellent photo of mating Bladder cicadas (Cystosoma saundersii) by David Emery.
A Cacama moorei (female) photo taken by Adam Fleishman.
Cacama is a genus of cicadas, known as Cactus Dodgers, found in Mexico and Southwestern United States. They are known for their affinity for cacti like prickly pear & cholla, and are most likely named Cactus Dodgers for their ability dodge the needles of their favorite plants. They are primarily black, gray, white, and beige colored; well camouflaged for the desert.
The two most common species seem to be Cacama moorei and Cacama valvata. The best way to tell them apart is C. moorei have a lot of orange on their ventral side.
| Eyes | Gray to golden beige |
| Ventral side | Mostly white, heavy pruinose |
| Legs | Black to golden beige |
| Dorsal side | Gray to Black, with rust, golden or beige highlights. Prominent white pruinose along the sides of the mesonotum, and the 1st tergite (dorsal abdominal segment) of the abdomen. |
| Wings | hyaline, with black to golden beige viens |
According to BugGuide there are 12 species of Cacama: C. californica , C. carbonaria, C. crepitans, C. collinaplaga, C. dissimilis, C. furcata, C. longirostris, C. maura, C. moorei, C. pygmaea, C. valvata and C. variegata.
Cacama was the lord of the Aztec kingdom of Tezcuco (see The History of the Conquest of Mexico, by W.H. Prescott), who met his end at the hands of Spanish conquistadors. Cacama lives on in these winged desert treasures.
Some Cacama links:
The Insect Singers website has the song of a Cacama valvata.
A nice photo of a Cacama furcata taken in New Mexico.
Brood II will next emerge in 2030.
This page has not been updated since 2013.
Cicada Mania was started back in 1996, the last time Brood II emerged! The Spring of 2013 will be our first chance to see the children of the cicadas that emerged 17 years ago. Here is the basic information you need to know about the 2013 Brood II emergence.
Even though the emergence is 5 to 6 months away, it is never too early to begin planning… especially if you are a cicada maniac like me.
When will the Brood II cicadas emerge?
Brood II cicadas will emerge sometime in the Spring of 2013. They typically emerge once the soil 8 inches (20cm) below the surface gets to 64 degrees Fahrenheit (18º C). If we have a hot Spring, as we did in 2012, the cicadas could emerge in mid-to-late April. If we have a moderate Spring, the cicadas will wait until May.
Where will they emerge?
Brood II will emerge in parts of Connecticut, Maryland, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
- Visit the Magicicada Database Query Page to search historical records of the Brood II emergence. You will learn the counties where Brood II cicadas have emerged in the past.
- The map in this article is an old one from C.L. Marlatt’s 1898 bulletin “The Periodical Cicada. An Account of Cicada Septendecim, Its Natural Enemies and the Means of Preventing Its Injury, Together with a Summary of the Distribution of the Different Broods.” (Download it from this page).
- Cicadas @ UCONN (formerly Magicicada.org)’s Brood II page has an updated map, and Cicadas @ UCONN (formerly Magicicada.org) will have a live map of the Brood II emergence, which you can contribute to.
Magicicadas won’t emerge everywhere in the states mentioned above. They might not exist in your town or neighborhood (particularly if trees were removed from your neighborhood).
More information about where the cicadas will emerge.
What is a Magicicada cicada?
Magicicada is a genus of periodical cicadas known for emerging in massive numbers in 17 or 13 year cycles/periods. The cicadas emerging in 2013 have 17 year life-cycles. Magicicada are also organized into broods. There are 12 broods of 17 year cicadas, and the brood emerging in 2013 is Brood II (Brood Two).
There are 3 species of 17-year Magicicada: M. septendecim (aka “decims”), M. cassini, and M. septendecula. The adults of all three species have black bodies with orange markings, and almost all have red-orange eyes (some have white or multi-colored eyes.
Here is some video and audio of 17-year Magicicada. This will give you an idea of what to expect:
Cicada Mania, best of 2007, part 1 by Dan from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.
More information:
- Magicicada Frequently Asked Questions
- How to tell the difference between the 17 year species
- Cicadas and Prime Numbers
- Six Cicada Experiments
- Periodical Cicada Fun Facts
- Cicada Books are a nice souvenir of a cicada emergence.
- All Magicicada posts on this site
1907 Map Marlatt, C.L.. 1907. The periodical cicada. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology.
Here is part 2. Jairo of Cigarras do Brasil — Brazilian Cicadas asked for our help to identify some unknown cicada species from Brazil. The following photographs feature cicadas from Brazil we want to identify. We are hoping folks in the cicada research community can help.
Note: All of these cicadas were photographed at Paraibuna, São Paulo. This town is close to the ParaÃba Valley (Vale do ParaÃba), and to São José dos Campos and Caçapava.
1) Possibly an Ariasa sp. (about 1/2 inch (1,3cm))
2) Possibly a Quesada sodalis (about 1 1/2 inch (4cm))
Cicadas 3, 4 and 5 were identified by David Emery as Fidicinoides picea (Walker, 1850). Learn more about Fidicnoides picea.
3) Identified: Fidicinoides picea.
4) Identified: Fidicinoides picea.
5) Identified: Fidicinoides picea.
