Genus Tibicen

Dog Day Cicada (often applied in particular, to Tibicen canicularis), Harvestflies

Tibicen Latreille, 1825.

"All the –a endings in the species of Tibicen need to be –us, e.g. bifida should be bifidus", per Allen Sanborn (Barry University, Florida), pers. comm., 2008. (Note, many taxonomists working on larger groups, e.g. leps, have abandoned gender agreement, but apparently this isn't the case with Cicadas. MQ)

Genus is usually (?) listed as part of subfamily Tibiceninae - concealed-timbal cicadas. See SINA for classification.

Tibicen is Latin for "flute-player, piper" (1).

Nearctica.com and Arnett, p. 298 (2) list 30 North American species in genus.

Up to 60 mm

Large, brown and green cicadas.

Eastern and Central North America, east of Rockies

Deciduous forests, mostly.

Summer

Milne (3) reports that adults do not eat, but sometimes feed on sap?

Life cycles are three years (or more?), not actually annual. These just have a much shorter life-cycle than Magicicada, and there are emergences every year, thus "annual cicadas". Eggs are laid on twigs, causing them to wilt, droop, and fall to ground. Nymphs burrow into ground and feed on plant juices from roots. After several years (three or more?) underground, nymphs crawl onto tree trunk, wall, etc. and molt for the last time. Adults leave the last molted skin clinging to the surface of a tree (or wall, etc.) and fly off. Males, mostly, sing during the day.