The cicada is in the order Hemiptera, suborder Homoptera, family Cicadidae. This specimen is known as a dog day cicada. They are black and green in color, with clear wings. It is not one of the periodical cicadas that reside in the soil and emerge every thirteen or seventeen years. All of the noise is made by cicada males as they call for females. This makes the males more vulnerable to the cicada killer wasp that lays her eggs on the parasitized body of the cicada in her burrow in the ground. Female cicadas lay their eggs in new growth twigs in trees. These twigs eventually die and fall to the ground where the young burrow into the soil. Once in the soil they will remain there feeding on sap from tree roots until they emerge to reproduce and die. The amount of time spent in the soil depends on the type of cicada. Dog day cicadas typically have a one year life cycle, while the periodical cicadas spend either 13 or 17 years underground. Cicadas are hemimetabolous, meaning that they go through partial metamorphosis. After emerging, the exoskeletons of the last nymphal instar can be found attached to vertical surfaces such as tree trunks and fence posts.
Andy West & Randolph Wadsworth
Insect Biology & Diversity (ENT / BIOSC 301)
Fall 2004
