September 5, 2010

Cicada Alphabet: K

K is for Dr. Kritsky, specifically Dr. Gene Kritsky of the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Dr. Kritsky is one of the premier Magicicada experts and advocates; if you’re a cicada fan you must attend one of his lectures and buy one of his books. A few years ago Gene provided Cicada Mania with an interview.

Kikihia, one of the two major Genus of cicadas in New Zealand. David Marshall says: “The name Kikihia is derived from the Maori word for cicada, as is the name of the town Kihikihi, in New Zealand. You’ll love their public cicada statue. See this web page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kihikihi“.

The Kobonga is a Genus of cicadae that exists in eastern Australia. Thanks to David Marshall and Kathy Hill of InsectSingers.com for these wonderful photos of a Kobonga species currently nicknamed the Xmas Clanger (species name pending).

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September 4, 2010

Cicada Alphabet: J

Filed under: Cicada Alphabet — Dan @ 12:04 pm

J is for Jar Fly. Jar Fly is a colloquial name for Tibicen cicadas.

I don’t know the origin of the term, but I’m guessing it has to do with the fact that kids keep insects in jars.

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Cicada Alphabet: I

Filed under: Cicada Alphabet — Dan @ 11:53 am

I is for instar. An instar is a developmental phase in the life of an insect. Each instar marks a change in the abilities and characteristics of the insect. Most cicadas go through five instars; the final instar of a cicada’s life is the adult or imago phase.

An imago is an adult, sexually mature insect. Here’s a photo of Magicicada imagoes:

Magicicadas

Insectoverdin is the pigment that that makes insects like cicadas green.

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September 2, 2010

Guess the cicada song

Filed under: Audio, Sounds, Songs — Tags: N. pruinosus — Dan @ 4:07 pm

Ricky B sent us this sound file of a cicada that he recorded in August of 2010 in Chicago:

Can you guess which species it is?

Hint: try sites like Insect Singers and Songs of Insects sites for ideas.

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August 29, 2010

Cicada Alphabet: H

Filed under: Cicada Alphabet | Neocicada — Tags: N. hieroglyphica hieroglyphica — Dan @ 9:29 am

H is for Hieroglyphic Cicada. The Neocicada hieroglyphica a.k.a. Hieroglyphic Cicada is found in the south-eastern United States. It’s active in the late spring and early summer. There are multiple subspecies of the Hieroglyphic Cicada including the Neocicada hieroglyphica hieroglyphica and Neocicada hieroglyphica johannis, according to InsectSingers.com.

Neocicada hieroglyphica
Photo by Matt Berger.

Listen to a Hieroglyphic Cicada:

Neocicada hieroglyphica singing by Joe Green from Cicada Mania on Vimeo.

Haemolymph is a blood-like fluid found in some arthropods like cicadas. Cicadas use haemolymph to inflate their wings when they eclose (leave their nymph form and become adults), as well as to transport nutrients throughout the cicada’s body.
Harvest Fly is common name for Tibicen cicadas, presumably in areas where harvests take place. I’ve heard tales that the harvest is supposed to take place a month after the last Tibicen sings.
Kathy Hill is a cicada researcher who is “working on descriptions of new species of cicadas from New Zealand, Australia and North America, several discovered through recognition of their unique songs” (quoted from Kathy and David Marshall’s wonderful InsectSingers.com website). Kathy is responsible for this unbelievable photo of 18 different USA Tibicen specimens.
Huechys sanguinea is a beautiful black and red cicada from Asia. Here’s a photo of a Huechys sanguinea: (Photo by Huechys sanguinea by =spurdog=, on Flickr).

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August 22, 2010

Cicada Alphabet: G

Filed under: Australia | Cicada Alphabet | Cyclochila | Kevin Lee — Tags: Green Grocer — Dan @ 9:57 am

G is for Greengrocer. The Greengrocer is the green morph of the Australian cicada Cyclochila australasiae. These cicadas can be found in south-eastern Australia. They have a large pronotal collar, and if you use your imagination, it looks like they’re wearing a tiny Pith helmet above their eyes.

Here’s a close of up of a Greengrocer (from Bron):
Green Grocer Cicada

Here’s a box of Greengrocers (from Kevin Lee):
Green Grocers

Gaeana is a genus of cicadae found in Asia, like the black, gray, yellow and green Gaeana cheni
Matija Gogala is a cicada researcher located in Ljubljana Slovenia. His Songs of Cicadas and Phantastic songs of the S.E. Asian cicadas! websites have been online since the 1990s.

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August 15, 2010

Cicada Alphabet: F

Filed under: Cicada Alphabet — Dan @ 8:43 am

F is for flagging. Flagging is the term for when leaves of a tree die as a result of oviposition (when the cicada lays eggs in the branches of trees).

Flagging
Photo credit: Daniel Herms, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org (Forestry Images).

The Floury Baker, aka Aleeta curvicosta, is an Australian cicada. It has excellent camouflage, as you can see from the photo:

Floury Baker by Michelle Thompson
Photo credit: Michelle Thompson.

Fidicina is a Genus of cicadae. Here is a photo of a Fidicina mannifera from Brazil:

Photo by Leonardo Milhomem.

Formotosena is a Genus of cicada. Here is a photo of a Formotosena montivaga from Thailand:
Formotosena montivaga (Distant, 1889)
Photo by Michel Chantraine.

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August 11, 2010

Cool new cicada website: Insect Singers

Filed under: Audio, Sounds, Songs | David Marshall | Kathy Hill — Dan @ 3:29 pm

Hey,

If you’re interested in North American cicada species, and you’re looking for sound files of those cicada’s songs, check out Insect Singers, a new website from cicada researchers David Marshall and Kathy Hill. It has dozens of audio samples. Awesome!

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August 8, 2010

Cicada Alphabet: E

Filed under: Cicada Alphabet — Dan @ 6:38 pm

E is for exuvia. People call them shells, skins, cicada ghosts and a dozen other names, but the proper name for what is left behind when a cicada transforms from a nymph to an adult is an exuvia The plural is exuviae. Also known as Integument.
Egg slits, aka oviposition slits, are the grooves a female cicada makes in a branch in which she will lay her eggs. Here’s a photo of some egg slits and here’s a photo of eggs in a egg slit. Call them oviposition slits if you’re talking to a scientist.
Emergence can refer to:
1. When the adult cicada emerges from its exuvia
2. When the nymph emerges from the ground
3. Best answer: When and where a particular group of cicadas will emerge, for example, “There will be an emergence of Periodical cicadas around May 15th in the Nashville Tennessee area in 2011.”
Euterpnosia chibensis is a cicada that exists in Japan. Here are some photos of Euterpnosia chibensis. These cicadas are well known in Japan, and there are 3 sub-species: E. chibensis chibensis, E. chibensis okinawana, and E. chibensis daitoensis. These cicadas look a lot like the North American species Neocicada hieroglyphica.

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August 7, 2010

The keychain saga continues

Filed under: Lucky Cicada Key Chain | Toys and Amusements — Dan @ 7:05 am

Thanks for Suzanne M for the scan of the Archie McPhee catalog featuring the amazing cicada keychain.

Lucky Cicada Toy Advert

I actually finally found one of these thanks to a family member.

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