They belong to the largest group, or brood, of periodical cicadas, sometimes known as "Brood XIII". The 17-year cicadas include three species, Magicicada septendecim, Magicicada cassini, and Magicicada septendecula. Cicadas are vegetarians spending most of their lives as nymphs, burrowing underground and sucking sap from tree roots. There are approximately 2,500 species of cicada around the globe, and surprisingly considering their size, many remain unclassified. You see squirrels and raccoons and skunks digging in the dirt, feasting on the cicadas that haven't come out yet," Tiddens said.Ĭicadas are classified in the taxonomic order Hemiptera, in the superfamily, Cicadoidea. Cicadas are popular food items with birds and other wildlife. Scientists predict as many as 1.5 million bugs per acre, particularly in wooded areas where the soil has remained relatively undisturbed over the years. The largest populations of 17-year cicadas are found throughout Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin. We couldn't talk to one another because you couldn't hear them," recalled Tom Tiddens, supervisor of plant healthcare for the Chicago Botanic Garden, of the 1990 cicada eruption. "I'd be out in the trees working, and have someone five feet from me. Basically, cicadas are the most efficient and loudest sound-producing insects in the world. The dark-colored insects are between one and two inches long with transparent veined wings, prominent red eyes and undeniable acoustic talents: the males produce a tremendously loud courtship song that sounds like a combination of a whirring blender and a lawn mover. ![]() Adult cicadas live, feed, and breed above ground for approximately two to six weeks before they die. After seventeen years underground, immature cicadas are now emerging as full-fledged adults, ready to breed.
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