Ovipositing T. canicularis At Home.

Ovipositing T. canicularis At Home.

3:00 pm - I started a terrarium in my home in order to contain and study my newly acquired Cicada specimens. I wanted to be able to study them in a more natural environment and also I hoped to note any unusual behavior. I got the terrarium; which is really an acquarium, through ebay second-hand. It cost 75 bucks and includes the filters and top light and everything. Not bad considering that a new one goes for about 125 bucks.

Anyway, I am happy to report that one of the females started to oviposit in a dean porition of a lilac branch that I have sitting in a mason jar full of water. Usually the Cicada specimens like to tap the xylem on this branch to feed.

Unfortunately, prior to it ovipositing I did not notice if it mated with any of the males that I have also contained within the terrarium. I did notice one of the male Cicadas in the terrarium yesterday had died but who can say?

After the female laid eggs which took about an hour, I studied it closely but seems fine. I was under the impression that Cicada females die shortly after ovipositing in a branch. I could not watch the whole time because I needed to pick up my fiance Kim at work. Maybe the female will be dead by the time I get back.

It will be hard however to identify which female specimen it was that laid the eggs and then died. I will probably have to check the branches very carefully in order to see if other females have laid eggs. I wanted to take the female that laid the eggs out of the container and confine it after it laid the eggs to see how long it took for it to die but I just didn't have time.

Since I wasn't sure of the viability of the eggs I decided to dissect the branch in order to see if I could discover the eggs within. I was able to recover several. They are about the same length as a grain of rice but much thinner. See the images below.