Prairie Report: The Aptly Named Grand Western Cicada

A marvel insect of tallgrass prairies, the call of the giant Grand Western Cicada (Megatibicen dorsatus) punctuates the landscape. Their massive shapes darting up and down over the tall grasses is truly something to behold, and their bold color pattern is striking for a cicada. This beautifully patterned insect is endemic to prairie ecosystems from the extreme far eastern Rockies to Illinois, and southward to northern Texas. This species is very large, especially compared to its small prairie counterpart cicada, Cicadettana calliope. In many places, M. dorsatus is endangered and in some circumstances it is illegal to collect (especially in national preserves). It is threatened mostly due to prairie destruction and conversion to farmland. Despite their threatened degree, they are somewhat common in remnants of tallgrass prairie, and preserves such as the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. The population peaks from mid July to early August, and they can commonly be heard and/or seen on warm summer afternoons. They often take refuge on low-hanging branches or in the foliage of bushes. Megatibicen dorsatus usually becomes slower as late Summer/early Fall begins, and as the end of Summer approaches the females lay their eggs. Soon afterwards, they drop from their perches and die. Males of this amazing species can sometimes be heard giving a dying cry before dropping to the ground. Most of this species’ life is spent underground as a nymph (about 90%+ of total life span). Calls can be found here: https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/tag/m-dorsatus/ .
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Posted on June 2, 2022 04:52 PM by thecicadadude