Latest Cicada News
Brood XIII 2007 Magicicadas
After a two year break from the absence of periodical cicada emergences anywhere in the United States, and this being my official fourth year studying cicadas (A lot has happened since 2004), I am happy to report that this year will be the year for Brood XIII! I have learned a lot from my first experience with Periodical Cicadas. So much so, that I have made a gaggle of new friends both personal and professional all involving this amazing insect. Distribution Mapping of Brood X
Date Posted: 2007-05-12 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada Missions
Welcome to Another cicada season.
That's right, this year (2007) I'll be starting up with the regular updates to this web site. I'm starting early this year because it is the year of Brood XIII Magicicadas (Periodical Cicadas) which will be happening in the mid-west. So, if you are from Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan or Wisconsin, be sure to write in and give us some reports. Last year I set up a Cicada and Cicada Killer sightings page for people to report their sightings. It has been a great success and I expect a greater nu
Date Posted: 2007-04-30 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada General Info
Tibicen chloromera in Massachusetts Sighting
As you may or may not know, T. chloromera Tibicen tibicen in Massachusetts is quite rare. Most have been chalked up to satellite males coming up from the south looking for new territory. I reported last year that there was a T. chloromera Tibicen tibicen calling in my yard. I managed to get a very poor quality recording which I had confirmed by John Cooley and John Zyla of Cicadas.info.
Well, this year I'd like to officially report a second record of a T. chloromera Tibicen tibicen in my ne
Date Posted: 2006-09-02 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada General Info
Some Cicadas from Kansas
Update 3/15/11: The species name of Tibicen walkeri has been officially changed to Tibicen pronotalis. This article has been edited to reflect this change.
This year was an abundant year for cicadas in Kansas. The cicadas were so plentiful that they were easy to capture because they were just sitting on the ground or under street lights and on very low branches of trees.
Thanks to Joe Tomelleri and his sons who live in Kansas, I received approximately 105 cicadas in August. It took a while t
Date Posted: 2006-09-02 Comments: (1) Category: Cicadas 101
Eastern Cicada Species
So this evening I get an email from Kathy Hill from the University of Connecticut at Storrs. She studies cicadas there. I guess she wanted to prove that Tibicen auletes is the biggest Tibicen cicada in the United States, even bigger than T. resonans and Quesada gigas.
Speaking from first hand experience, I do indeed know that T. auletes is one massive cicada. I am actually glad that it is bigger than Quesada gigas myself. Anyway, below is her email:
Hi cicada people, I just took a photo
Date Posted: 2006-08-21 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada General Info
New Cicada Info for Martha's Vineyard
At first I was not successful in capturing a specimen but the 13th of August prooved to be a very fruitful day. Prior to that on my first day there, I was successful in recording the call of T. auletes and even managed to obtain an exuvia of a male.
Below are some quick images and a link to a 44 second video of this specimen's alarm squawk.
The full account of my 4 day Cicada trip to Martha's Vineyard can be found the "Cicada Missions" section. I was able to obt
Date Posted: 2006-08-20 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada General Info
Leaving the vineyard
Today while packing up, it seemed really busy in the morning for T. auletes at the camp ground. I heard several males calling on several occasions. Unfortunately by the time I was done packing up and out of there, they seemed to be quiet for the better part of the day.
I went back to the same area where I caught my specimen yesterday but I did not catch another one. They were reluctant to call.
Two More Cicada Killers Spotted!
In the state forest along a fire road I did come across several ci
Date Posted: 2006-08-14 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada Missions
Tibicen auletes Caught on the Vineyard!
This is it, my last full day here. I'm really feeling the pressure. It was great to discover that T. auletes is definitely here. I've heard its call on various parts of the island. It even called a few times at my camp site. But up to this point, I have been unsuccessful in capturing one.
I spent the day hiking at various Wildlife Conservation areas owned by the Martha's Vineyard Land Bank but have been unsuccessful in hearing the call of T. auletes. By this time it is getting later and later i
Date Posted: 2006-08-13 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada Missions
Two T. lyricens Captured Today!
I was getting pretty discouraged. I thought that I would be doing a lot better than I have been doing as far as obtaining cicada specimens up to this point. Time is becoming a factor. I'll be leaving on the 14th which is just two days away.
So far I had only managed to obtain a T. canicularis female during the eclose process in the state forest. But things did change for me today, significantly!
I found yet another wildlife refuge area run by the Land Bank. This area was known as Peak
Date Posted: 2006-08-12 Comments: (0) Category: Cicada Missions