Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Genus Magicicada - Periodical Cicadas

Magicicada cassini Cicada meeting - Magicicada cassini 17-Year-Locust - Magicicada New Cicada - Magicicada 17 Year Cicada - Magicicada septendecim periodical cicada - Magicicada cassini - Magicicada - male Group of 17 year cicadas - Magicicada septendecim Periodical Cicada - Magicicada septendecim_2296 - Magicicada septendecim
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Hemiptera (True Bugs, Cicadas, Hoppers, Aphids and Allies)
Suborder Auchenorrhyncha (Free-living Hemipterans)
Superfamily Cicadoidea
Family Cicadidae (Cicadas)
Subfamily Cicadettinae
Genus Magicicada (Periodical Cicadas)
Other Common Names
17-year locusts, 13-year locusts (Note that true locusts are grasshoppers.)
Size
27-30 mm body length, wingspan to 76 mm--M. septendecim (1)
Identification
Body black, orange eyes, orange wing veins.
Range
Eastern North America
Habitat
Deciduous forests
Season
Late spring to summer
Life Cycle
There are four species with 13-year and three species with 17-year life cycles. The 13-year species are more southern, the 17-year species more northern.
Print References
Evans, p. 132 (1)
Marshall, pp. 102-103, p. 139 (2)
Eaton and Kaufman, pp. 90-91 (3)
Brimley, pp. 85-86, gives detailed discussion of North Carolina broods. (4)
Internet References
Univ. Michigan--excellent life history discussion, very spiffy table of broods (link updated 8 July 2007).
Mating call sound files for both M. cassini and M. septendecula on Gerry Bunker's Brood X stragglers gallery page--scroll to the bottom

bad link fixed Univ. Michigan
The Univ. Michigan link doesn't work, but this one will:

http://www.ummz.lsa.umich.edu/insects/resources/fauna/cicadas/Periodical/Index.html

Seems they've reorganized their website.