Cicadas of North America North of Mexico's Journal

Where we discuss events, journal descriptions of cicadas, and general info.

This species is native to the Eastern United States, and is found on the lower mountainous slopes of the Appalachian Mountains, and the inner portion of the Atlantic coastal plain. The call of the males can be described as a loud pulsating buzz lasting approximately 20 seconds with somewhere between one and two pulses per second. This pattern gradually crescendos until slowly tapering off into a soft buzz. This particular species often calls from the middle to upper branches of deciduous trees. The call of this species is often heard shortly before nightfall between the months of June and September. The population of this species regularly peaks around mid September, but some individuals can be seen through early August. N. winnemanna seems to have more of an orange coloration to the arches on its mesonotum, perhaps more so than N. pruinosus. The eye and collar coloration is dark green, and the dorsum of the abdomen with the hind margin of the segments is more or less brown and generally has a trace of a pruinose stripe on each side of segment three. Song

This common species is often found in Atlantic coast junipers, and does not generally sing at dusk. Neotibicen latifasciatus is found in the South from New Jersey to Southern Florida . The population lasts from July to October and peaks in September. This particular species has broad white lateral dashes on segment three, brown eyes, and a brownish-green collar with a white X on its back. It has a rhythmic call as if someone were to scrape two metal utensils together, and the song sounds nearly identical to N. winnemanna and N. pruinosus. The abdomen above is black, while the base of the first segment has a white, heavily pruinose lateral dash, which extends to an extent upon the second segment. A longer and broader lateral dash exists along the end of the third segment, and spots of the same color are noticeable on each side of the eighth segment. Males usually have only one stripe, whereas females generally have two. Call found here.

Resh Cicada (Megatibicen resh)
Northern Dusk-singing Cicada (Megatibicen auletes)
Plains Cicada (Megatibicen dealbatus)
Walker's Annual Cicada (Megatibicen pronotalis)
Bush Cicada (Megatibicen dorsatus)
Resonant Cicada (Megatibicen resonans)
Fall Southeastern Dusk-singing Cicada (Megatibicen figuratus)
Grand Western Flood Plain Cicada (Megatibicen cultriformis)
Cole's Bush Cicada (Megatibicen tremulus)
Megatibicen harenosus

Plains Dog-Day Cicada (Neotibicen auriferus)
Northern Dog-day Cicada (Neotibicen canicularis)
Davis's Southeastern Dog-day Cicada (Neotibicen davisi)
Coastal Scissors Grinder Cicada (Neotibicen latifasciatus)
Linne's Cicada (Neotibicen linnei)
Lyric Cicada (Neotibicen lyricen)
Scissor Grinder (Neotibicen pruinosus)
Robinson's Annual Cicada (Neotibicen robinsonianus)
Similar Dog-day Cicada (Neotibicen similaris)
Superb Dog-day Cicada (Neotibicen superbus)
Swamp Cicada (Neotibicen tibicen)
Eastern Scissors Grinder Cicada (Neotibicen winnemanna)

This small cicada with rich brown and green markings can be heard singing in habitats such as coastal plain forests from New Jersey to Louisiana. It is generally heard calling from the tops of deciduous trees on warm, moist summer afternoons and evenings. The call of this insect may easily be mistaken for another Neotibicen species, so it helps to have general knowledge about the many different species in this genus. People often mistake the call of N. davisi as the call of the similar N. canicularis, but for a trained ear there are several clear distinctions between the calls of the two species. The song of N davisi can be described as a whining buzz without pulsations that sounds extremely similar to the song of Neotibicen canicularis, but with a much shorter length of about 6–7 seconds.
The call can be found here: songsofinsects.com/cicadas/davis-southeastern-dog-day-cicada

This camouflaged cicada is native to the Southeastern United States, and blends in very well with its environment. There was once just the initial species. As of now, there are two described subspecies. They are: Neotibicen similaris similaris, and the recently described subspecies Neotibicen similaris Apalachicola. They are similar, and the most reliable means of distinguishing the subspecies is the distinctive call of N. similaris apalachicola males. Despite the distinctness of the mating calls, the two subspecies appear to hybridize in areas in which they overlap, resulting in songs that combine elements of both.

A distinctive, unique summertime caller, this widespread eastern species can be found in a variety of habitats. From a forested park in a big city to dense eastern woods, the lyric cicada is never far away. It can be heard from July to early September throughout eastern North America from New York to Florida and prefers to call from the top of the highest tree in sight. The call of this species could be said to be similar to that of N. canicularis, but the Lyric cicada’s call has faint pulsations instead of a clean buzz. This species generally has a black or brownish ground color with bluish wing veins and somewhat elongated opercula. The pronotum and mesonotum are nearly all black (more-so on N lyricen engelhardti). There are also three subspecies, including: N. lyricen lyricen (the most common) N. lyricen virescens (southeastern coast), and N. lyricen engelhardti (nearly all black with green marking on collar). Call found here.

While sitting out on your back porch on a late summer evening, you might hear a slowly repeating, scratching noise coming from the top of one of your trees. This strange caller is none other than the Robinson’s annual cicada, a large, generally uncommon cicada with a unique, somewhat bizarre call. This species is most common in the southeastern US and prefers cedar trees along with other conifers. While most common in the southeast, it can be heard from northern Texas north to extreme southern Ontario and east to the Carolinas during July through September. Neotibicen robinsonianus is very similar to N. linnei, but is often larger. This species also has a gradual wing bend as opposed to a sharp notch. The opercula are like that of N. pruinosus. N. robinsonianus has a dark stripe on the underside of the abdomen. In addition, the collar also has a thin black line bisecting through it. This species is difficult to get specimens of, and is generally found dead in known calling locations. Call found here: https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/tag/n-robinsonianus/.

A noisy endemic of the once abundant tallgrass prairie ecosystem, this extremely small Neotibicen can be heard from hundreds of feet away. It’s call is an unmistakable high-pitched and long drone that sounds similar to the noise of an angle-grinder. It can be found from Missouri and Arkansas west to Nebraska and Texas. Adults are active from late July to very early October. While probably threatened due to habitat destruction, this species is fairly common during its flight season in prairie preserves. In its habitat this species can commonly also be found with other staple prairie species like Cicadettana calliope and Megatibicen dorsatus. Like most other cicadas, 95%+ of this species’ life span is spent under the ground as a nymph. Neotibicen auriferus' call sounds similar to that of N. canicularis and N. davisi, however both of those very similar species are found farther eastward and prefer different habitats. Call found here: https://www.cicadamania.com/cicadas/neotibicen-auriferus-say-1825-aka-plains-dog-day-cicada/