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Brood X Pharaoh Cicada (Magicicada septendecim)
On a forested trail near a lakeside. This location was about 15 miles north of our home (where we are only hearing occasional calls). The sound here was deafening!
Watch the video below for an idea of the noise level:
Emergence Map:
https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KorGK9h2SxNIaJdx72jRUD7t34M=/0x0:999x771/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:999x771):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/22413227/Screen_Shot_2021_04_01_at_10.33.22_AM.png
''Magicicada septendecim'', sometimes called the Pharaoh cicada or the 17 year locust, is native to Canada and the United States and is the largest and most northern species of periodical cicada with a 17-year life cycle.
Similar species: True Bugs
By Flown Kimmerling
All rights reserved
Uploaded May 30, 2021. Captured May 30, 2021 12:23 in 3633 Woodring Branch Rd, Chatsworth, GA 30705, USA.
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comments (29)
Locally, I would be fine to touch subjects but I typically don't see a need and try to not intervene too much.
As for tropical specimens, I have no idea about logistics, where they came from. Could be spores or viruses traveling along. If I'd touch them, it's almost inevitable you touch your face afterwards, possibly transferring something. Here too I think I'm probably being overly cautious, but it's a simple safety measure, takes 5 seconds. Posted 4 years ago
I am going to be safe and keep them in the jar for now. I don't know if I'm allergic to touching or breathing them or both at this point! This has me questioning the safety of tasting mushrooms now as well (also chitinous). I did taste/spit a Russula on the trail, so I'm wondering if that played SOME part in the reaction. Ugh. This sucks. Posted 4 years ago
Even if you don’t live in the United States, chances are that you have heard about the emergence of Brood X cicadas (Magicicada septendecim). It’s one of nature’s most epic spectacles! The 2021 emergence spanned Washington, D.C. and 15 states in the eastern U.S., during which billions (more like trillions) of cicadas wriggled their way out of the ground! The sudden appearance of these screaming, red-eyed insects emerging en masse is not something easily forgotten!
In honor of these wonderfully weird creatures, please enjoy these fun facts:
1. First, their LIFECYCLE. Every 17 years, the cicada nymphs (immatures) dig their way out of the ground…There can be up to 1.4 million cicadas per acre!! Once in the open air, they molt into their adult forms, and the males start looking for “love” by shrieking at the tops of their tymbals (drum-like organs that they use to make noise). Males die after mating, while the females first lay ~500 eggs each and then die. A couple months later, nymphs hatch out of the eggs, drop out of the trees and burrow underground, where they will spend the next 17 years sucking the juices out of tree roots.
2. WHY do they spend 17 years underground and then emerge in the billions (and in sync)? Well, we don’t really know. But, it’s thought to be a survival strategy. By only emerging every 17 years, predators can’t count on them as a yearly food source. Also, when the cicadas do finally emerge, their numbers are so large that predators are completely overwhelmed. They can easily gorge on the buzzing, cicada buffet without decimating the populations or reproductive success of the insects. They simply cannot eat them all.
3. HOW do cicadas know when it’s time to emerge? Cicadas are incredibly punctual, which is amazing since they can’t set timers or alarms. It’s thought that they have an “internal clock”, which is set by environmental cues that signal the passage of a year and the season (i.e., trees leafing out, freeze-thaw cycles, and ground temperatures).
4. They are so LOUD. Males scream their love songs at about 96 decibels. In comparison, a motorcycle produces about 95 decibels. Thankfully, they don’t sing nonstop.
5. They are usually NOT HARMFUL to people. They don’t sting, bite, or produce toxins. Of course, they may contain toxins from their environment and could cause allergic reactions in susceptible people. They rarely even damage the trees that they lay eggs on – unless enough females lay their eggs on the same branch of a young tree. But, even then, they are not considered to be major pests. They don’t swarm or devour crops. The worst they can do to most people is bonk them in the head, thanks to their clumsy flying skills. Although, they can also pee on you…The nymphs drink a lot of fluid, which they release as adults in the form of “cicada rain”, aka pee. But, don’t be alarmed if you feel a squirt hit your forehead, it’s harmless.
6. They are BENEFICIAL. They aerate the soil and move nutrients through the ecosystem. Plus, the adults are an abundant food source for birds and other animals. They are also a food source for humans. Yes, really! Their flavor has been compared to asparagus, tofu, or peanut butter. Oddly, not chicken though.
7. A fungus (Massospora cicadina) makes them completely SEX-CRAZED. This fungus infects nymphs (males only) and gets activated during the adult stage, during which it starts eating the cicada’s internal organs. The fungus actually castrates the males. But, it also drugs them to the point where they are apparently unaware that they have lost their genitalia. And, the fungus makes them extra eager to mate. These poor fellas are referred to as horny “flying saltshakers of death” because they eagerly spread the deadly fungal spores to other cicadas.
Awesome, fascinating, and wild, right?!
https://www.facebook.com/jungledragonwildlife Posted 4 years ago