Cicada Sighting in Athol, MA
Sightings Category: Cicadas
Cicada Sighting in Athol, MA
Dear Mr. Bunker:
Upon hearing of your cicada database, I thought you might be interested in this one discovered clinging to a stick holding up a tomato plant approx. 2' from the ground? It was sedentary and I could not determine what, if anything, it was doing?
Dick, Athol, MA.
Date Posted: 2008-08-08 Comments: (2) Show Comments Hide Comments
Comments
Posted By: Massachusetts Cicadas | On: 2010-12-17 | Website:
Hi Dick
Thank you for the data point. I have spent a lot of time in Athol hunting for an elusive cicada species known as Okanagana rimosa. I geocoded the location based on the GPS data you submitted. Can you confirm that the sighting was along Rte 2A? That seems where the coordinates are geocoding to.
Your specimen looks to be a female Tibicen canicularis one of the two common species here in Massachusetts.
I'm curious as to how you found out about me?
Posted By: Dick | On: 2010-12-17 | Website:
Hi Gerry:
My home, the location of the cicada, is close to 2A in a residential area approx. 1 mile south and west of downtown Main St., Athol.
I've a Quabbin hiking friend, Karen Doliver, who showed me an interesting picture of a cicada spotted with dried 'caked-on' hemolymph. She was curious about it, so I forwarded her to Jeff Bottner, whom I met from an online biomass list. Jeff forwarded her to you. She then forwarded your reply to me. There was a whole lot of forwarding going on! I'm retired (73) and have no special training in insect biology. It's just a hobby along with photography.