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”.
The emergence of Brood II is 3 to 4 months away (when they emerge depends on how warm the Spring is), but the Staten Island Museum, in Staten Island NY has already planned an event and exhibit to celebrate the emergence. According to cicada researcher Allen Sanborn, the museum largest cicada collection in North America (they have over 35,000 specimens), so it’s a good place to celebrate cicadas.
They’re Baaack! Return of the 17-year Cicadas
February 16, 2013 – Spring 2014
See numerous cicada specimens from the Museum’s extensive collection, sculpture inspired by the Cicada, new work by syndicated cartoonist Tayor Jones, a timeline of past emergences linked to historic events, a time-lapse video of emerging cicadas, a hands on video microscope, a Google map showing where cicadas are emerging, big-bug sci-fi fun, unusual Cicada ephemera and facts from around the globe, activities for kids and more.
On February 15th they’re having OPENING RECEPTION PREVIEW PARTY from 6:00pm – 9:00pm, including dinner, drinks and disco.
On February 16th they’re having a Cicada Family Day from 10:00am – 4:00pm.
And then cicada exhibits throughout the Spring.
See their Upcoming Exhibitions and Current Exhibitions page for more information (which page depends on when you read this.)
The Staten Island Museum is located at Staten Island Museum, 75 Stuyvesant Place, SI, NY 10301, or on the web at www.statenislandmuseum.org.
It looks like there’s a new The Cicadas of Thailand book out (or coming out soon).
ISBN 978-974-480-165-4
WL Order Code 22 645
Bangkok 2011
Boulard, Michel; The Cicadas of Thailand, Vol.2. Taxonomy and Sonic Ethology
White Lotus Press
Looks like it will be for sale here.
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Cicadidae of Turkey
I found an interesting document on Archive.org called Centre for Entomological Studies Ankara, Cesa News Nr. 55 (January 30, 2010) by authors Muhabbet Kemal and Ahmet Omer Kocak.
This document describes several cicadas native to the Republic of Turkey, including Tibicina serhadensis, a cicada adapted to colder, mountainous, subapline-apline regions. T. serhadensis is a hairy cicada with white wings, and orange appendages — it is quite a remarkable insect.
The document contains many full color photos.
A pretty green speckled cicada from North Sulawesi, Indonesia.
If you can identify the species, let us know.
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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.
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NikeID Cicada-Themed Sneakers
My NikeID cicada-themed sneakers arrived. Here’s what they look like:
The Magicicada:
The chloromera:
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.
I made this page for two reasons: 1) to point out insects and other animals that people commonly confuse with cicadas, and 2) list people, places and things named "cicada" that clearly are not cicadas.
By the way, if you’re looking for places to Identify insects that are not cicadas, try Bug Guide and What’s that Bug.
Order Orthoptera (Grasshoppers, Crickets, Katydids)
Are cicadas locusts? No, but people call them locusts, and have since the 1600’s.
Grasshoppers, Crickets and Katydids are often confused with cicadas because they are relatively large, singing insects. There are many differences between cicadas and Orthopterans, but the easiest way to tell them apart is Orthopterans have huge hind legs.
The Songs of Insects has song samples of grasshoppers, katydids, crickets and cicadas — listen and compare.
Learn more about insects belonging to the Order Orthoptera.
Grasshoppers / Locusts
True locusts are
Locust:
17-year cicada:
People call periodical Magicicada cicadas "locusts" because they emerge in massive numbers like true locusts. Unlike true locusts — which will chew, eat and destroy virtually all vegetation they come across — most cicadas only cause damage to weaker tree branches when they lay their eggs. When true locusts come to town, your family might starve and die (because the locusts ate all your food). When cicadas come to town, your maple tree gets a few branches of brown leaves. Big difference.
Learn more about Grasshoppers on BugGuide.
Katydids
Katydids get confused with cicadas for both the way they look and for the sounds they make. Some key differences: katydids usually have wings that look like green leaves, long antennae, and large hind legs for jumping. Most of the time you year an insect at night, it’s either a cricket or a katydid.
Photo by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory.
Learn more about Katydids on BugGuide.
Learn about North American Katydids on orthsoc.org
Crickets
Crickets don’t look like cicadas, but they do make sounds. Most of the time you year an insect at night, it’s either a cricket or a katydid.
Photo by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory.
Learn more about crickets on BugGuide.
Learn about North American Crickets on orthsoc.org
Sphinx Moths
Sphinx Moths are confused for cicadas because, at a glance, they have a similar shape. Learn more about Sphinx moths.
Other members of the Suborder Auchenorrhyncha
Planthoppers (Infraorder Fulgoromorpha), Froghoppers (Infraorder Cicadomorpha > Superfamily Cercopoidea), and Cicadelloidea (Infraorder Cicadomorpha > Superfamily Membracoidea ) are often mistaken for cicadas (Infraorder Cicadomorpha > Superfamily Cicadoidea) because they share the same Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order and Suborder — and they look a lot alike. The big difference is cicadas sing, while other members of Auchenorrhyncha do not sing.
Photos by USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory.
Learn more about the other members of the Suborder Auchenorrhyncha.
June Bugs
NO, cicadas are not June Bugs. Many people confuse June Bug larvae for cicada larvae.
Beetle Larve Grubs
“I dug up a white grub in my backyard. Is it a cicada?”
Maybe. Just about every insect goes through a larval phase, and they pretty much all look alike to the novice. Unlike beetle larvae, cicada larvae or nymphs are not long-bodied like grubs. Long larvae = beetle larvae.
An example of a young cicada nymph unearthed from the ground. Note how its body is white, but it doesn’t have the Cheetos/worm-like body of a beetle grub:
Frogs
Frog calls are often mistaken for cicada song, particularly at night.
Birds
Bird calls can be mistaken for cicada song. Some birds that can mimic sounds, such as Lyrebirds, Mockingbirds, and Psittaciformes (Parrots) could conceivably mimic cicada sounds.
The HORSE
No one would confuse a horse with a cicada (visually and audibly speaking), but there was a famous horse named cicada.
People, Places and Things Named Cicada
These are people (in the form of Bands), places and things named cicada. They often show up on Flickr, Twitter, eBay or Amazon, when I’m searching for cicada insects. It is awesome that people name stuff after cicadas (but it can be annoying when you’re searching for cicada insects, and other stuff shows up).
Bands
There are many bands with "cicada" in their name. These show up a lot on eBay and Twitter. Here is a partial list:
There are many albums named Cicada as well, such as Cicada by Cat Scientist. That one comes up a lot in ebay.
Places
These places show up on twitter, and when I search for cicada photos on Flickr.
- Maxwell DeMille’s Cicada Club is a vintage-style night club in Los Angeles, California.
- Cicada Market is a popular market in Hua Hin, Thailand.
- The Golden Cicada Tavern in Jersey City, NJ.
- Rancho Cicada is a ranch / retreat in Plymouth CA.
Things
Here’s a list of other things that often show up in eBay, Twitter and Amazon.
- BattleTech BattleMech Cicada is a toy.
- Cicada is a company that makes dental equipment.
- Cicada Magazine is a magazine for children.
- The Cicada is a multi tool.
- PageFlip Cicada is a wireless Bluetooth pedal designed to meet the needs of musicians and people with disabilities who struggle with the challenge and inconvenience of page turning.
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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