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April 14, 2020

Magicicada cassini (Fisher, 1852) aka Cassin 17-Year Cicada

Filed under: Lamotialnini | Magicicada | Periodical | United States — Tags: — Dan @ 5:04 pm

Magicicada cassini (Fisher, 1852) aka Cassini 17-Year Cicada.

Update (4/10/2022) David C. Marshall published a paper arguing for the use of the name Magicicada cassini (one i): Marshall, David C. On the spelling of the name of Cassin’s 17-Year Cicada, Magicicada cassini (Fisher, 1852) (Hemiptera: Cicadidae). 2022. Zootaxa 5125 (2): 241–245. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5125.2.8

Magicicada cassini; Brood X straggler

Female Magicicada cassini Colonia NJ

All Magicicada cassinii images & info on cicadamania.com.

M. cassini Court II & III. Recorded in New York, Brood II (2013) by Dan Mozgai.


Source: ©Cicada Mania | Species: M. cassini

Song type: Distress


Source: ©Cicada Mania | Species: M. cassini

Song type: Chorus


Source: ©Cicada Mania | Species: M. cassini

Song type: Call


Source: ©Joe Green | Species: M. cassini

Song type: Chorus


Source: ©Cicada Mania | Species: M. cassini

Video

Video Playlist

Playlists contain multiple videos found on YouTube.

Identification Tips

M. cassinii differs from other Magicicada in that its abdomen is typically all black, with no orange. Exceptions occur in the mid-west, the occasional mosaic pigment mutation. It also lacks the orange coloring between the eye and wing that M. septendecim has. Its chorus sounds like hissing static.

M. cassini Brood Chart

Magicicada cassinii has a 17-year lifecycle.

Brood Years States
I (1) 1961, 1978, 1995, 2012, 2029 TN, VA, WVA
II (2) 1962, 1979, 1996, 2013, 2030 CT, GA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, OK, PA, VA
III (3) 1963, 1980, 1997, 2014, 2031 IA, IL, MO
IV (4) 1964, 1981, 1998, 2015, 2032 IA, KS, MO, NE, OK, TX
V (5) 1965, 1982, 1999, 2016, 2033 LI NY, western MD, east OH, south-west PA, north-west VA, northern half of WV
VIII (8) 1968, 1985, 2002, 2019, 2026 OH, PA, WVA and OK
IX (9) 1952, 1969, 1986, 2003, 2020 NC, VA, WVA
X (10) 1953, 1970, 1987, 2004, 2021 DE, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WVA, Washington DC
XIII (13) 1956, 1973, 1990, 2007, 2024 IA, IL, IN, MI, WI
XIV (14) 1957, 1974, 1991, 2008, 2025 GA, IN, KY, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV

Name, Location and Description

Classification:

Family: Cicadidae
SubFamily: Cicadettinae
Tribe: Lamotialnini
Sub-Tribe: Tryellina
Genus: Magicicada
Species: Magicicada cassinii (Fisher, 1852)

List of sources

  • Full Binomial Names: ITIS.gov
  • Common names: BugGuide.net; The Songs of Insects by Lang Elliott and Wil Herschberger; personal memory.
  • Locations: Cicadas @ UCONN (formerly Magicicada.org)
  • Descriptions, Colors: personal observations from specimens or photos from many sources. Descriptions are not perfect, but may be helpful.
  • Tribe information comes from: MARSHALL, DAVID C. et al.A molecular phylogeny of the cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) with a review of tribe and subfamily classification.Zootaxa, [S.l.], v. 4424, n. 1, p. 1—64, may 2018. ISSN 1175-5334. Available at: https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.4424.1.1

Notes:

  • Some descriptions are based on aged specimens which have lost some or a lot of their color.

4 Comments »

  1. david says:

    Was this cicada actually named after John Cassin or after french astronom family Cassini?

    1. Dan says:

      I believe it was John Cassin.

  2. Jeffrey Greenberg says:

    These Black with orange eyes varieties seem to be less nosy and slower in flight than some of the greener species. This year is the first I’ve noticed them. Id these are Cassinis, then their big brood time isn’t until next year.

    1. Jeff Greenberg says:

      I meant noisy, not nosy! Ha.

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