Other Common Names
Locusts, Harvestfly, Jarfly, Chicharra (Spanish), Zhi Liao (Chinese)
Pronunciation
suh-KAY-duh (sə-ˈkā-də), plural
cicadas, also
cicadae (
Merriam-Webster, see also
Wiktionary)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Moulds (2005) proposed a new higher taxonomy that has been almost universally accepted, per Allen Sanborn (Barry University, Florida), pers. comm. 2008.
Explanation of Names
Type genus of this family is Old World
Cicada, directly from Latin
cicada, said to mean "buzzer" (Wikipedia--
Cicada). At any rate, the Latin word is
onomatopoeic.
Numbers
There are 166 species of cicadas in the United States and Canada
(1).
Identification
Taxonomic treatment in popular works tends to be poor. See
SINA for what looks to be a good summary of classification. In eastern North America, two groups are easily separated:
1-Periodical Cicadas are Magicicada species. These typically have dark bodies, brown-veined wings, and bright red eyes. They emerge in huge numbers in either 13-year or 17-year cycles. Genus Okanagana is in the same subfamily, does not (?) have red eyes, and does not (?) have mass emergences.
2-"Annual" Cicadas: several genera, not necessarily closely related. Life cycles two or three years, do not emerge in synchrony. These include Tibicen, Neocicada, Platypedia, etc.
Range
Family is widespread across North America.
Habitat
Typically deciduous forests but also grasslands.
Season
Adults active primarily from May to October.
Food
Immature stages feed on plant roots ranging from trees to grasses.
Life Cycle
Males sing loudly during the day to attract mates.
Remarks
Despite their numbers and large size, cicadas do little damage to crops or trees. Unfortunately this means that there has been not so much attention paid to this group.
Print References
Moulds, M.S., 2005. An appraisal of the higher classification of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadoidea) with special reference to the Australian fauna. Records of the Australian Museum 57(3): 375–446.
abstract,
full textInternet References
Cicadas of Michigan--family description,
key
Cicadas of Florida--excellent description of life histories, sound production
SINA--under construction, but see
songs,
Florida seasonal occurence,
taxonomy,
Checklist of Cicadas North of Mexico, has references, also gives some common names.
Phillips, P.K. & A.F. Sanborn. 2007. Phytogeography influences biogeography of the Cicadidae. Acta Zoologica Sinica 53(3): 454-462.
abstract,
full text. This is an intensive multi-year study of the cicadas of Big Bend National Park in west Texas.
