Buzzers of the East: The Swamp Cicada (Neotibicen tibicen)

The cicada of wet, thick woodlands from Michigan to Florida, west to Texas, this chunky insect’s calls resonate from the low brush. It may be a poor flyer, but one shouldn’t forget that the Swamp Cicada makes up for it in pure bulk and deafening distress calls. This cicada resembles no other in North America, with the core color being black typically with a faint orange ‘W’ on the pronotum. It has a green collar and has green wing veins. Like many Neotibicen, this species is a common prey for the Eastern Cicada Killer. It is common from mid July to mid September, with adults typically living a few weeks. Most of their life (about 90%+ of life span) is spent in the nymphal stage underground. This species is fairly common during its flying season, and abundant in the right places during population peaks. The call of this species sounds a bit like that of Linne’s cicada (N. linnei) but is more heavily punctuated and louder. It starts out slow but rapidly increases speed to become somewhat of a buzz. There are two subspecies, the main one (N. tibicen tibicen) has a broad range in the east while N.t. australis is found mainly in Florida and some surrounding states. This species most often calls in the morning and therefore is also known as the Morning Cicada. Calls and further info can be found here: https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/neotibicen-tibicen-tibicen-linnaeus-1758-aka-morning-cicada/

Posted on June 2, 2022 10:43 PM by thecicadadude