One for the Books: The 2021 Emergence of the Periodical Cicada Brood X (original) (raw)
The Ecology, Behavior, and Evolution of Periodical Cicadas
Annual Review of Entomology, 1995
Periodical cicada nymphs feed underground on root xylem fluids for precisely 13 or 17 years before emerging at any given locality synchronously and in tremendous numbers. Populations throughout the eastern United States are grouped into variously sized, geographically contiguous broods, which are reproductively isolated from each other. Six distinct species represent the 13and 17-year life cycle forms of three morphologically and behaviorally distinct periodical cicadas. Recent work supports and modifies previous hypotheses concerning periodical cicada intra-and interspecific interactions, movement patterns, juvenile development rates, life-cycle switching, the evolution of periodicity, and the origination of broods and species. Major ecological interactions of perio~lical cicadas include infection by a host-specific fungal pathogen, 'satiation of predators, and damage to hostplants. Central to the evolution of periodical cicadas are four-year accelerations in development that sometimes result in switching between 13-and 17-year life cycles. BACKGROUND Periodical cicadas of the genus Magicicada (Homoptera: Cicadidae).have fascinated biologists since they were first discussed in the scientific literature
Environmental Entomology, 2006
Periodical cicadas (Magicicada spp.) are insects with a 13-or 17-yr life cycle that spend most of this time underground feeding on xylem from plant roots. In the 13th or 17th year of the life cycle, typically millions of cicadas emerge from the soil within a given area in near perfect synchrony. Factors controlling emergence, whether exogenous or endogenous, remain a mystery. By removing 13-yr periodical cicadas [Magicicada cassini (Fisher 1851)] from their natural environment in northwest Arkansas and controlling most exogenous factors in the laboratory, this study examined deviations or similarities in life cycle patterns compared with those occurring in nature. In a series of replicated experiments starting 9 mo before natural emergence in environmental chambers with constant light and temperature, we found that 14 of 60 nymphs associated with soybean (Glycine max L.) plants or cedar trees (Juniperus virginiana L.) successfully emerged in May 1998 in synchrony with the natural population from which they were removed. Seven of 10 nymphs feeding on a control cedar tree for 9 mo at the Þeld study site also emerged in May 1998. It seemed that all nymphs surviving 9 mo under laboratory conditions emerged during the period of natural emergence. Whether this represents endogenous control of emergence remains to be critically tested, but from data collected in this study, the internal timing of emergence seems to be set at least 9 mo before emergence.
The distribution of the Iowan Brood of periodical cicadas in Illinois was determined in 1997 using a Global Positioning System receiver and mapping software. The area contained within the distribution derived from this survey was approximately twice the area bounded by a range map published in 1975. Periodical cicadas were found in many areas not included in the earlier range map, and were absent from several areas that had been included. Periodical cicadas were very patchily distributed within the boundary, being most abundant in stream woodlands and protected areas and least abundant in agricultural and urban areas. Periodical cicadas were primarily found in a soil type associated with stream woodlands, and appeared to follow forests along waterways, but it is possible that these areas serve as refugia from human activity rather than preferred habitats.
Annals of the Entomological Society of America, 2000
The distribution of the Iowan Brood of periodical cicadas in Illinois was determined in 1997 using a global positioning system receiver and mapping software. The area contained within the distribution derived from this survey was approximately twice the area bounded by a range map published in 1975. Periodical cicadas were found in many areas not included in the earlier range map, and were absent from several areas that had been included. Periodical cicadas were patchily distributed within the boundary, being most abundant in stream woodlands and protected areas and least abundant in agricultural and urban areas. Periodical cicadas were primarily found in a soil type associated with stream woodlands, and appeared to follow forests along waterways, but it is possible that these areas serve as refugia from human activity rather than preferred habitats.
The Canadian Entomologist, 2014
Periodical cicadas in the genus Magicicada Davis (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of brood II emerged in the eastern United States of America in 2013. In Connecticut, only Magicicada septendecim (Linnaeus) had been recorded until this emergence when Magicicada septendecula Alexander and Moore was found on Totoket Mountain in North Branford, Connecticut, United States of America. This discovery represented the northeastern-most record of this species. In two 0.25-ha plots where M. septendecula and M. septendecim emerged and chorused, species of Carya Nuttall (Juglandaceae) comprised 59.9–63.7% of the total basal area, with Carya glabra (Miller) Sweet, accounting for 43.9–60.0%. In one plot, 31.6% of the total basal area was Fraxinus americana Linnaeus (Oleaceae). By using the proportion of exuviae of M. septendecula (hind tibial length<6.3 mm) and M. septendecim (length ⩾ 6.3 mm) near trees and the mean number of emergence holes per 0.25-m2 quadrat (1.88), it was estimated that 1487 M. sept...