Magicicada Brood X photo by Walter Hanig from 2004. Washington, D.C.
Magicicada Brood X photos by Steve Groh from 2004. Cincinnati, Ohio.
Diceroprocta olympusa photos by Joe Green from 2007. Florida.
Photos of Magicicada cicadas with white & blue eyes by Roy Troutman from 2004.
Photo of a Magicicada cicada with blue eyes by Roy Troutman.
Photo of a Magicicada cicada with blue eyes by Roy Troutman.
Photo of a Magicicada cicada with white eyes by Roy Troutman.
Photo of a Magicicada cicada with white eyes by Roy Troutman.
Categories
Cicada Skin Lamps by Gaye Williams
Cicada Skin (exuvia, molts, “shells”) Lamps by Gaye Williams.
17-year Magicicada Photos by Gwen Elferdink from Brood X 2004.
Categories
Vincent van Gogh’s Three Cicadas
People love cicada art possibly more than they love cicadas (my social media posts about cicada art get more views than photos of cicadas).
Here’s Vincent van Gogh’s Three Cicadas. It’s an ink & paper sketch and study. He created it in 1889, in Saint-rémy-de-provence, France. If you want to see it IRL, it’s at the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
I’d like to, but I can’t think of something clever to say about the fact that cicadas sing, and van Gogh removed his left ear.
There’s a new cicada subfamily: Derotettiginae.
The five subfamilies are:
- Derotettiginae (NEW)
- Tibicininae
- Tettigomyiinae
- Cicadettinae
- Cicadinae
Here’s the paper:
Chris Simon, Eric R L Gordon, M S Moulds, Jeffrey A Cole, Diler Haji, Alan R Lemmon, Emily Moriarty Lemmon, Michelle Kortyna, Katherine Nazario, Elizabeth J Wade, Russell C Meister, Geert Goemans, Stephen M Chiswell, Pablo Pessacq, Claudio Veloso, John P Mccutcheon, Piotr Lukasik, Off-target capture data, endosymbiont genes and morphology reveal a relict lineage that is sister to all other singing cicadas, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, , blz120, https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blz120
Here’s the abstract:
Phylogenetic asymmetry is common throughout the tree of life and results from contrasting patterns of speciation and extinction in the paired descendant lineages of ancestral nodes. On the depauperate side of a node, we find extant ‘relict’ taxa that sit atop long, unbranched lineages. Here, we show that a tiny, pale green, inconspicuous and poorly known cicada in the genus Derotettix, endemic to degraded salt-plain habitats in arid regions of central Argentina, is a relict lineage that is sister to all other modern cicadas. Nuclear and mitochondrial phylogenies of cicadas inferred from probe-based genomic hybrid capture data of both target and non-target loci and a morphological cladogram support this hypothesis. We strengthen this conclusion with genomic data from one of the cicada nutritional bacterial endosymbionts, Sulcia, an ancient and obligate endosymbiont of the larger plant-sucking bugs (Auchenorrhyncha) and an important source of maternally inherited phylogenetic data. We establish Derotettiginae subfam. nov. as a new, monogeneric, fifth cicada subfamily, and compile existing and new data on the distribution, ecology and diet of Derotettix. Our consideration of the palaeoenvironmental literature and host-plant phylogenetics allows us to predict what might have led to the relict status of Derotettix over 100 Myr of habitat change in South America.
Tweets from Chris Simon @CicadaScience announcing the new subfamily:
One of our undergrads, Rachel Wolther, created this wonderful GIF for our newly published paper. #uconneeb, #endosymbionts, #cicadashttps://t.co/rjdXSCginJ pic.twitter.com/uRppf8ZT0K
— Chris Simon (@CicadaScience) October 13, 2019
Off-target genomic capture data, Sulcia endosymbiont genes and morphology reveal a relict lineage that is sister to all other singing cicadas: a tiny, pale green, inconspicuous and poorly known genus, Derotettix, endemic to salt-plain habitats in arid regions of central Argentina pic.twitter.com/xUhtMPWmgk
— Chris Simon (@CicadaScience) October 13, 2019
This is a running list of papers or documents published about cicadas in the year 2019. 35 so far (as of November).
If I missed an article, email me at cicadamania@gmail.com.
December
- An augmented wood-penetrating structure: Cicada ovipositors enhanced with metals and other inorganic elements. Authors: Matthew S. Lehnert, Kristen E. Reiter, Gregory A. Smith & Gene Kritsky . Link to Nature.
October
- A revision of the Yoyetta abdominalis (Distant) species group of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Cicadettinae), introducing eight new species. Authors: David Emery, Nathan Emery, Lindsay Popple. Link to Journals Australia Museum.
- Off-target capture data, endosymbiont genes and morphology reveal a relict lineage that is sister to all other singing cicadas. Authors: Chris Simon, Eric R L Gordon, M S Moulds, Jeffrey A Cole, Diler Haji, Alan R Lemmon, Emily Moriarty Lemmon, Michelle Kortyna, Katherine Nazario, Elizabeth J Wade, Russell C Meister, Geert Goemans, Stephen M Chiswell, Pablo Pessacq, Claudio Veloso, John P Mccutcheon, Piotr Lukasik. Link to Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.
- Noisy neighbours among the selfish herd: a critical song distance mediates mate recognition within cicada emergences (Hemiptera: Cicadidae). Authors: Will Chatfield-Taylor, Jeffrey A Cole. Link to Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.
- Genital coupling, morphology and evolution of male holding structures in Cicadinae (Hemiptera: Cicadidae). Authors: Tatiana Petersen Ruschel, Filipe Michels Bianchi, Luiz Alexandre Campos. Link to Biological Journal of the Linnean Society.
- Psychoactive plant- and mushroom-associated alkaloids from two behavior modifying cicada pathogens. Authors: Greg R. Boyce, Emile Gluck-Thaler, Jason C. Slot, Jason E. Stajich, William J. Davis, Tim Y.James, John R. Cooley, Daniel G. Panaccione, Jørgen Eilenberg, Henrik H. De Fine Licht, Angie M. Macias, Matthew C. Berger, Kristen L. Wickert, Cameron M. Stauder, Ellie J. Spahr, Matthew D. Maust, Amy M. Metheny, Chris Simon, Gene Kritsky, Kathie T. Hodge, Richard A.Humber, Terry Gullion, Dylan P.G. Short, Teiya Kijimoto, Dan Mozgai, Nidia Arguedas, Matt T. Kasson. Link to sciencedirect.com
September
- A note on the taxonomy and natural history of the Summer Clicker Lahugada dohertyi (Distant, 1891) (Insecta: Hemiptera: Cicadidae) along with its distribution in northern West Bengal, India. Authors: Vivek Sarkar. Like to the Journal of Threatened Taxa.
- Gold coated Cicada wings: Anti-reflective micro-environment for plasmonic enhancement of fluorescence from upconversion nanoparticles. Authors: Akash Gupta, Hao-Yu Cheng, Kung-Hsuan Lin, Chien Ting Wu, Pradip Kumar Roy, Sandip Ghosh, Surojit Chattopadhyay. Link to Science Direct.
- A new species and first record of the cicada genus Sinotympana Lee, 2009 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Dundubiini) from Vietnam. Authors: THAI-HONG PHAM, ALLEN F. SANBORN, HUYEN-THI NGUYEN, JEROME CONSTANT. Link to Zootaxa.
August
- A New Species of Calopsaltria Stål, 1861 (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Cicadidae: Cicadettinae: Parnisini) from South Africa. Author: Allen F. Sanborn. Link to paper.
- The cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of Bolivia including the descriptions of fifteen new species, the resurrection of one genus and two species, seven new combinations, six new synonymies, and twenty-eight new records. Author: ALLEN F. SANBORN. Link to Zootaxa.
July
- Periodical cicada emergence resource pulse tracks forest expansion in a tallgrass prairie landscape. Authors: Matt R. Whiles, Bruce A. Snyder, Brent L. Brock, Sophia Bonjour, Mac A. Callaham Jr., Clinton K. Meyer, Alex Bell. Link to Ecosphere journal.
June
- The cicada genus Selymbria Stå1, 1861 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae: Tibicininae: Selymbrini): redescription including ten new species and a key to the genus. Author: Allen F Sanborn. Link to Zootaxa.
- Cicada Endosymbionts Have tRNAs That Are Correctly Processed Despite Having Genomes That Do Not Encode All of the tRNA Processing Machinery. Authors: James T. Van Leuven, Meng Mao, Denghui D. Xing, Gordon M. Bennett, John P. McCutcheon. Link to mBio
- An enigmatic fossil hairy cicada (Hemiptera, Tettigarctidae) from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. Authors: Hui Jiang, Jun Chen, Ed Jarzembowski, Bo Wang. Link to article
- Comparative sialotranscriptome analysis of the rare Chinese cicada Subpsaltria yangi, with identification of candidate genes related to host-plant adaptation. Authors: Yunxiang Liu, Mengmeng Qi, Christopher H. Dietrich, Zhiqiang He, Cong Wei. Link to article
May
- First record of the cicadas genus Orientopsaltria Kato, 1944 (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) from Vietnam, with description of one new species. Authors: Thai-Hong Pham, Thi Huyen Nguyen, Jerome Constant. Link to Zootaxa
April
- The applications of biomimetic cicada-wing structure on the organic light-emitting diodes. Authors: Chih-Kai Nien, Hsin Her Yu. Link to Science Direct.
- Oxygen/phosphorus co-doped porous carbon from cicada slough as high-performance electrode material for supercapacitors. Authors: Bingwei Chen, Wenzhuo Wu, Chunyang Li, Yanfang Wang, Yi Zhang, Lijun Fu, Yusong Zhu, Lixin Zhang & Yuping Wu. Link to Nature.
- The winner takes it all: how semelparous insects can become periodical. Authors: Odo Diekmann, Robert Planqué. Link to springer.com.
- A new species of larval Caeculisoma (Acari: Erythraeidae) parasitic on cicadas from China with detailed comparison of all larval members in the genus. Authors: Si-Yuan Xu, Tian-Ci Yi, Jian-Jun Guo, and Dao-Chao Jin. Link to bioone.org
- Characterization of polymorphic loci for two cicada species: Cryptotympana atrata and Hyalessa fuscata (Hemiptera: Cicadoidae). Author(s): Hoa Quynh Nguyen,Soyeon Chae, Erick Kim, Yikweon Jang. Link to paper.
March
- New Host Records and Biological Notes for Diceroprocta bulgara (Distant) in Mexico. Authors: José Antonio Sánchez-García , José JoaquÃn Velázquez-Monreal , Héctor Miguel Guzmán-Vásquez , Roselia Jarquín-López , Jesús Alberto OrtÃz-López , Miguel Ãngel Manzanilla-RamÃrez , Manuel Ovando-Cruz , Teodulfo Aquino-Bolaños , Allen F. Sanborn. Link to paper.
- Cicada slough-derived heteroatom incorporated porous carbon for supercapacitor: Ultra-high gravimetric capacitance. Authors: Haiyang Jia, Jiawei Sun, Xiao Xie, Kuibo Yin, Litao Sun. Link to articles.
- Evolutionary hysteresis and ratchets in the evolution of periodical cicadas. Author(s): Jaakko Toivonen and Lutz Fromhage. Link to paper.
- The effects of pulsed fertilization and chronic herbivory by periodical cicadas on tree growth. Author(s): Louie H. Yang, Richard Karban. Link to paper.
- Mitochondrial Genomics Reveals Shared Phylogeographic Patterns and Demographic History among Three Periodical Cicada Species Groups. Author(s): Zhenyong Du, Hiroki Hasegawa, John R Cooley, Chris Simon, Jin Yoshimura, Wanzhi Cai, Teiji Sota, Hu Li. Link to paper.
- Homoptera — Cicadas and Hoppers. Author(s): Ying Wang, Xiao Zhang, Tingying Zhang, Xue Liu, Chungkun Shih, Yunzhi Yao, Dong Ren. Link to paper.
- Mesodiphthera Tillyard, 1919, from the Late Triassic of Queensland, the oldest cicada (Hemiptera: Cicadomorpha: Cicadoidea: Tettigarctidae). Author(s): KEVIN J. LAMBKIN. Link to paper.
- Out of Africa? A dated molecular phylogeny of the cicada tribe Platypleurini Schmidt (Hemiptera: Cicadidae), with a focus on African genera and the genus Platypleura Amyot & Audinet-Serville. Author(s): Benjamin W. Price, David C. Marshall, Nigel P. Barker, Chris Simon, Martin H. Villet. Link to paper.
- Ecophysiological responses to climate change in cicadas. Author(s): Minoru Moriyama , Hideharu Numata. Link to paper.
February
- Intra- and Interspecific Prey Theft in Cicada Killers (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Sphecius) . Author(s): J R Coelho, C W Holliday, J M Hastings. Link to paper.
January
- Phylogeny and biogeography of the leaf-winged cicadas (Hemiptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadidae). Author(s): Tatiana Petersen Ruschel, Luiz Alexandre Campos. Link to paper.
- A Simple Model of Periodic Reproduction: Selection of Prime Periods. Author(s): Raul Abreu de Assis, MazÃlio Coronel Malavazi. Link to paper.
- First hairy cicadas in mid-Cretaceous amber from northern Myanmar (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea: Tettigarctidae). Author(s): Yanzhe Fu, Chenyang Cai, Diying Huang. Link to paper.
- Investigation of nanostructure-based bactericidal effect derived from a cicada wing by using QCM-D. Authors: Keisuke Jindai, Kazuki Nakadea, Takashi Sagawa, Hiroaki Kojima, Tomohiro Shimizu, Shoso Shingubara, Takeshi Ito. Link to Science Direct.
- Hemiptera of Canada. Authors: Robert G. Foottit, H. Eric L. Maw, Joel H. Kits, Geoffrey G. E. Scudder. Link to Zookeys.
It’s been about six weeks since the emergence of Brood VIII in Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and Oklahoma. Now (first week of August) is a good a time as any to check for periodical cicada nymphs that have hatched from eggs laid in branches. Once they hatch they’ll find their way to the ground, where they’ll find and begin feeding on roots for the next 17 years.
Look on branches where cicada laid their eggs.
An illustration of egg nests (Marlatt 1907 Egg Nest Detail):
A nymph on a branch with adult male finger for comparison:
Close up:
Another close up: