Details
Magicicada septendecim
The periodical cicada emerges in synchronized waves after many years underground. Adults call by day and reproduce during a brief aboveground life.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It occupies deciduous forest and urban tree habitats in the Nearctic. Nymphs feed on tree roots and spend most of life underground.
Length 2.4-3.3 cm; weight 0.5 g-1.2 g. Adults have a black body, red eyes, and clear wings. After emergence, empty nymphal skins often cover tree trunks in numbers.
Diurnal and loosely gregarious, local broods appear in mass. Males call in loud choruses, and sheer numbers help overwhelm predators.
A herbivore, the nymph feeds on sap from tree roots. Adults take some plant fluids but are mainly focused on reproduction.
After mating, females cut slits into small twigs and lay eggs. Hatchlings drop to the ground, burrow into soil, and attach to roots.
It is listed as Least Concern, though local populations can still be affected by habitat change, collection, or pollution.
