More Cicadas Obtained via Cicada Killer

More Cicadas Obtained via Cicada Killer

Pine Grove Cemetery, Westford - Yesterday I emailed Professor Chuck Holliday to ask just how many Cicadas he would like to have for study from this lek of Cicada Killers. I have already obtained 7 total Cicadas for him, six Tibicen lyricen and one Tibicen canicularis for a total of 7 cicadas. He emailed requesting three additional specimens. I told him it wouldn't be a problem so I'm back one more time.

This will probably be the last time this year to observe these Cicada Killers because while these insects are quite interesting, they really aren't the scope of this web site which is about Cicadas themselves. Ok, they were a nice diversion and prey on Cicadas but I really need to get going on obtaining "working and moving" Cicada specimens for study not paralized ones.

However, I can't help noting more and more behaviors as outlined on Professor Chuck's Cicada Killer web site. I have noticed the female Cicada Killer's orientation sequence where it flies above its burrow making a series of passes then a wide sequence of circles always returning to the same place. The wasp does this several times. I have filmed this today. Hopefully you can make out the Cicada Killer in this video returning time and time again to the same spot in mid-air just to orient itself as to where the burrow entrance is located.

Today, I got the final three Cicada specimens. I was very surprised to see that a Tibicen canicularis male was brought in again. What's additionally surprising about this specimen is that it is completely teneral. That is it is only perhaps 1 to 1.5 hours from completely eclosing and was just probably hardening up in the sunlight which takes an additional several hours. This specimen will never call for a female unfortunately as nature had a different design for this specimen.

The other two Cicadas were of course Tibicen lyricen specimens, one male and one female. Above are all three specimens together. The above photo of the Tibicen canicularis is the same as the one above but this one shows the specimen, even though paralized in its true colors several days later. I am surprised to note that after several days, that while darker, this specimen still has not developed the pruinosity that appears ventrally after several days on most Tibicen species of Cicadas.