Cicadas of the genus ''Neotibicen'' are large-bodied
insect
Insects (from Latin ') are Hexapoda, hexapod invertebrates of the class (biology), class Insecta. They are the largest group within the arthropod phylum. Insects have a chitinous exoskeleton, a three-part body (Insect morphology#Head, head, ...
s of the
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
that appear in summer or early fall in eastern
North America
North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
and formerly
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. The closest land outside the territory is in the American state of North Carolina, about to the west-northwest.
Bermuda is an ...
.
Common names include cicada, harvestfly, jar fly, and the misnomer locust.
Taxonomy
In 2015, these species were moved from the genus ''
Tibicen'' (now genus ''
Lyristes'' Horvath, 1926), which was redefined in the twenty-first century to include only a few European species, while species from the Western
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
and
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
are now placed in a separate genus, ''
Hadoa''. In addition, several former ''Neotibicen'' species have been moved to the genus ''
Megatibicen''.
Species and subspecies
* ''
Neotibicen auriferus''
(Say, 1825) – Field cicada
* ''
Neotibicen canicularis''
(Harris, 1841) – Dog-day cicada or dog-day harvestfly
* ''
Neotibicen davisi''
** ''
Neotibicen davisi davisi''
(Smith and Grossbeck, 1907) – Davis's southeastern dog-day cicada
** ''
Neotibicen davisi harnedi''
(Davis, 1918)
* ''
Neotibicen latifasciatus''
(Davis, 1915) – Coastal scissor grinder cicada
* ''
Neotibicen linnei''
(Smith and Grossbeck, 1907) – Linne's cicada
* ''
Neotibicen lyricen''
** ''
Neotibicen lyricen engelhardti''
(Davis, 1910)
** ''
Neotibicen lyricen lyricen''
(De Geer, 1773) – Lyric cicada
** ''
Neotibicen lyricen virescens''
(Davis, 1935)
* ''
Neotibicen pruinosus''
** ''
Neotibicen pruinosus fulvus''
(Beamer, 1924)
** ''
Neotibicen pruinosus pruinosus''
(Say, 1825) – Scissor grinder cicada
* ''
Neotibicen robinsonianus''
(Davis, 1922) – Robinson's cicada
* ''
Neotibicen similaris''
** ''
Neotibicen similaris apalachicola''
Marshall and Hill, 2017
** ''
Neotibicen similaris similaris''
(Smith and Grossbeck, 1907) – Similar dog-day cicada
* ''
Neotibicen superbus''
(Fitch, 1855) – Superb southwestern cicada
* ''
Neotibicen tibicen''
** ''
Neotibicen tibicen australis''
(Davis, 1912)
** ''
Neotibicen tibicen tibicen'' (= ''Tibicen chloromerus'')
(Linnaeus, 1758) – Swamp cicada
* ''
Neotibicen winnemanna''
(Davis, 1912) – Eastern scissor grinder cicada
*''
Neotibicen bermudianus''
(Verrill, 1902) – Bermuda cicada (
extinct
Extinction is the termination of an organism by the death of its Endling, last member. A taxon may become Functional extinction, functionally extinct before the death of its last member if it loses the capacity to Reproduction, reproduce and ...
)
Description
''Neotibicen'' cicadas are long, with characteristic green, brown, and black markings on the top of the
thorax
The thorax (: thoraces or thoraxes) or chest is a part of the anatomy of mammals and other tetrapod animals located between the neck and the abdomen.
In insects, crustaceans, and the extinct trilobites, the thorax is one of the three main di ...
, and tented, membranous wings extending past the abdomen. The fore wings are about twice the length of the hindwings. Adults feed using their beak to tap into the
xylem
Xylem is one of the two types of transport tissue (biology), tissue in vascular plants, the other being phloem; both of these are part of the vascular bundle. The basic function of the xylem is to transport water upward from the roots to parts o ...
of plants; nymphs feed from the xylem of roots.
[Elliott, Lang, and Wil Hershberger. 2007. ''The Songs of Insects''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 184. ]
''Neotibicen'' species are the most commonly encountered cicadas in the eastern United States. Unlike
periodical cicada
The term periodical cicada is commonly used to refer to any of the seven species of the genus ''Magicicada'' of eastern North America, the 13- and 17-year cicadas. They are called periodical because nearly all individuals in a local population a ...
s, whose appearances aboveground occur at 13- or 17-year intervals, ''Neotibicen'' species can be seen every year, hence their nickname "
annual cicada
Annual cicadas are Cicadidae species that appear every summer. The life cycle of an annual cicada typically spans 2 to 5'' ''years; they are "annual" only in the sense that members of the species reappear once a year. The name is used to disti ...
s". Despite their annual appearances, ''Neotibicen'' probably take multiple years to develop underground, because all cicada species for which life cycle lengths have been measured do so, except when growing as agricultural pests. Their annual reappearance is presumably due to overlapping generations.
Communication
Like other members of the subfamily
Cicadinae, ''Neotibicen'' species have loud,
complex songs, even (in many cases) with distinct song phrases.
Males produce loud calls in the afternoon or evening (depending on the species) to attract females. These sounds, distinctive for each species,
[Elliott, Lang, and Wil Hershberger. 2007. ''The Songs of Insects''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. p. 19. ] are produced by specialized
tymbal organs on the abdomen as in most cicadas. These calls range from a loud buzz to a long rattling sound, sometimes with a pulsating quality.
Predators
Many animals feed on cicadas, which usually occurs during the final days when they become easy prey near the ground. One of the more notable predators is the
cicada killer, a large wasp that catches the dog-day cicada. After catching and stinging the insect to paralyze it, the cicada killer carries it back to its hole and drags it underground to a chamber where it lays its eggs in the paralyzed cicada. When the eggs hatch, the wasp larvae feed on the paralyzed, but still living, cicada.
Gallery
Image:Tibicen_chloromera_2005.jpg, Emerging ''N. tibicen'', New Jersey, US
Image:Malformed_Tibicen_chloromera.jpg, Malformed ''N. tibicen'', New Jersey, US
Image:Cicada_molting_animated-2.gif, Photo series of ''Neotibicen'' sp. moulting, Ohio, US
File:Tibicen husks on fence 01.jpg, Husks left after moulting
File:Mating Tibicen canicularis.jpg, Mating ''N. canicularis''
File:Cicada shell 1.jpg, Shell after molting, the head was up
File:Cicada shell - close up of head.jpg, Close-up of the head area
File:Annual cicada pupating 2024-08-12 No 1.jpg, ''Neotibicen'' cicada pupating
File:Annual cicada pupating 2024-08-12 No 2.jpg, ''Neotibicen'' cicada pupating
File:Annual cicada pupating 2024-08-12 No 3.jpg, ''Neotibicen'' cicada pupating
References
External links
Massachusetts CicadasInsectSingers.com.
- acoustic signaling insects
{{Taxonbar, from=Q24238626
Cryptotympanini
Cicadidae genera