Linnaeus’s 17-year Cicada (Magicicada septendecim)
Recording of a huge chorus of periodical cicadas, Magicicada septendecim (scroll down for explanation and additional recordings!). © Lang Elliott.
Have you ever been surprised by the sudden appearance in your neighborhood of tens of thousands, if not millions, of big, black, scary-looking bugs with red eyes and orange wings … crawling all over everything and making a deafening racket from the treetops? If you have, then consider yourself lucky … you’ve experienced the emergence of “periodical cicadas,” amazing insects that may show up in your area only three or four times in your lifetime! Enjoy them while they last, because when they disappear from the trees and shrubs, they won’t be visiting again for a very long, long time.
Basic Facts: Periodical cicadas are found only in eastern North America. They are unique in their combination of long, prime-numbered life cycles (13 or 17 years), synchronized mass emergences, and overwhelming choruses. There are seven species, all of the genus Magicicada — four with 13-year life cycles and three with 17-year cycles. The 17-year species are generally northern in distribution, while the 13-year species are generally southern and midwestern. All have black bodies, red eyes, and orange wing-veins, making them difficult to tell apart except by experts (although the songs of different species are distinct). Magicicada septendecim, the most common 17-year species, is also the most well-known to the general public. Why are they called Magicicada? … because they’re “magical” … indeed!
Calling songs of the three species of 17-year cicadas:
The calling songs of the males of Magicicada cassini are loud, high-pitched, and feature numerous clicks followed by a quickly rising buzz:
May 2021, Berkeley Co., WV. ©Wil Hershberger
The calling songs of the males of Magicicada septendecula are not as loud, high-pitched, raspy, and feature a series of buzzes that become more rapid and transition into lisps:
June 2021, Berkeley Co., WV. ©Wil Hershberger
The calling songs of the males of Magicicada septendecim are soft, droning, and low-pitched. These songs feature the familiar “wheeee-ooo” sound:
June 2004. ©Lang Elliott
Annual Cicadas: There are many other cicadas in North America that are not periodical, meaning that individuals of these species emerge in reasonable numbers every year. These are called “annual cicadas” to distinguish them from the periodicals. This is not to say that individuals of annual species have a one-year life cycle. On the contrary, each individual may take many years to develop into an adult, but the life cycles of individuals within a population are staggered so that some adults appear every year.
Are they “Locusts?”: Many people refer to periodical cicadas as “17-year locusts” or “13-year locusts,” but they are not locusts, which are a type of grasshopper in the insect Order Orthoptera. Periodical cicadas are a member of the insect Order Hemiptera and are relatives of the aphids, planthoppers, leafhoppers, and shield bugs.
Are they Dangerous to Humans?: Periodical cicadas may look scary, but they are actually quite harmless and do not sting or bite. You can hold one in your hand (or allow one to land on your nose) without fear. Adults have a proboscis that they insert into plant stems to extract sap, but it is unlikely that one would mistake your hand (or nose) for a stem. Given the lack of danger, there’s no reason not to treat them gently and respectfully.
Myth and Culture: The uniqueness of the group has given them a special appeal and cultural status. Members of the Onondaga Nation near Syracuse, New York, maintain the oral tradition of being rescued from famine by periodical cicadas. Early colonists viewed them with a mixture of religious apprehension and loathing, even though they they posed no threat. Modern Americans are intrigued by them, and there are numerous websites to assist in planning weddings, graduations, and other outdoor activities around emergences. Some even consider them a delicacy, concocting recipes to reduce the crunchiness (though we wonder how anyone could take joy in eating such a beautiful creature).
Cicada Mania: The periodical cicadas of eastern North America are unique among cicadas the world over. Nowhere else do cicadas exhibit such synchronous, periodic mass emergences. Those who live within their range are lucky indeed. Given their outlandish appearance, mysterious 13-year and 17-year cycles, extraordinary numbers, and the overwhelming loudness of their choruses, anyone who experiences a Magicicada emergence will be notably and irreversibly impressed … hopefully for the better!
Range Maps for the 12 broods of the Linnaeus’s 17-year Cicada.
Periodical Cicada
Our Insect Musicians:
Thumbnail Guide to All Species
Navigate to Species Pages:
Spring and Fall Field Cricket
Southern Wood Cricket
Southeastern Field Cricket
Eastern Striped Cricket
Japanese Burrowing Cricket
Ground Crickets (Nemobiinae):
Allard’s Ground Cricket
Carolina Ground Cricket
Confused Ground Cricket
Striped Ground Cricket
Southern Ground Cricket
Sphagnum Ground Cricket
Variegated Ground Cricket
Spotted Ground Cricket
Tinkling Ground Cricket
Cuban Ground Cricket
Tree Crickets (Oecanthinae):
Black-horned Tree Cricket
Forbes’s Tree Cricket
Broad-winged Tree Cricket
Davis’s Tree Cricket
Fast-calling Tree Cricket
Four-spotted Tree Cricket
Narrow-winged Tree Cricket
Pine Tree Cricket
Snowy Tree Cricket
Two-spotted Tree Cricket
Trigs and Bush Crickets (Eneopterinae & Trigonidiinae):
Jumping Bush Cricket
Columbian Trig
Handsome Trig
Say’s Trig
Thomas’s Trig
Slow-tinkling Trig
Mole Crickets (Gryllotalpidae):
Northern Mole Cricket
Southern Mole Cricket
FAMILY DESCRIPTION
Saltmarsh Meadow Katydid
Short-winged Meadow Katydid
Slender Meadow Katydid
Woodland Meadow Katydid
Black-sided Meadow Katydid
Long-tailed Meadow Katydid
Straight-lanced Meadow Katydid
Agile Meadow Katydid
Dusky-faced Meadow Katydid
Stripe-faced Meadow Katydid
Nimble Meadow Katydid
Black-legged Meadow Katydid
Common Meadow Katydid
Gladiator Meadow Katydid
Handsome Meadow Katydid
Lesser Pine Meadow Katydid
Long-spurred Meadow Katydid
Red-headed Meadow Katydid
Coneheads (Copiphorinae):
FAMILY DESCRIPTION
Round-tipped Conehead
Nebraska Conehead
Robust Conehead
Slightly Musical Conehead
Sword-bearing Conehead
False Robust Conehead
Marsh Conehead
Black-nosed Conehead
True Katydids (Pseudophyllinae):
FAMILY DESCRIPTION
Common True Katydid
False Katydids (Phaneropterinae):
FAMILY DESCRIPTION
Clicker Round-winged Katydid
Common Virtuoso Katydid
Rattler Round-winged Katydid
Oblong-winged Katydid
Great Angle-wing
Lesser Angle-wing
Broad-winged Bush Katydid
Curved-tailed Bush Katydid
Fork-tailed Bush Katydid
Northern Bush Katydid
Texas Bush Katydid
Treetop Bush Katydid
Modest Katydid
Shield-backed Katydids (Tettigoniinae):
FAMILY DESCRIPTION
American Shieldback
Least Shieldback
Protean Shieldback
Robust Shieldback
Roesel’s Katydid
Band-winged Grasshoppers (Oedipodinae):
Boll’s & Carolina Grasshoppers
Marsh Meadow Grasshopper