Description and features
Most cicadas have a body length of no more than 36 mm, and if measured with folded wings, then about 50 mm. The antennae with a flagellum are most often quite short. The lower surface of the front femurs is decorated with two large teeth.
On the head of song cicadas, between the large compound eyes, there are three more simple eyes. The proboscis is long and can easily cover the length of the entire chest.
Males have a well-developed apparatus for making very loud sounds. During the mating season, which can last several weeks, the volume of their singing can be comparable to the noise of a train passing on the subway and is expressed at 100-120 dB, which allows us to call them the loudest insects on our planet. The color of common cicadas is predominantly black or gray, the head and front back are decorated with intricate yellow patterns.
The larvae are usually no larger than 5 mm in size and do not resemble their parents. They have powerful front paws, which they use to dig into the ground to protect themselves from the winter and undergo further development into a nymph. They are distinguished by a light body, but the specific color depends on the species and habitat.
The winter cicada is never an adult - due to the fact that they do not live long, individuals that survive metamorphosis die even before the first snows. All that remains are the larvae, burrowing deep into the ground, and the nymphs, waiting for warm days to begin pupation.
Therefore, further we will talk only about the larvae. The habitat of the common cicada is considered to be the Mediterranean and the Crimean Peninsula. These insects are also common in the Caucasus region and Transcaucasia.
In literature
It is interesting that Krylov’s well-known fable “The Dragonfly and the Ant” is a free translation of La Fontaine’s fable “The Cicada and the Ant”. I think that the point is not ignorance of entomology, but that the fabulist deliberately adapted the text for residents of middle and northern latitudes. And, really: have you ever seen a dragonfly jump or sing?
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Kinds
The most impressive of all cicadas can be called the Royal (Potponia imperatoria), which is considered the largest on the planet. Its body length is 65 mm, and its wingspan is 217 mm. These giants are found in peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
The coloring of the royal creatures resembles the bark of a tree, on which the cicada insect spends most of its terrestrial life. Transparent wings also do not spoil the camouflage, so it is really difficult to notice such a large creature.
Singing cicadas prefer regions with hot and humid climates. Therefore, about 1,500 species can be found in the tropics. In Europe, 18 species of these insects are widespread. Some of them are very numerous. Cicadas are permanent residents not only of Eurasia, Indonesia, but also other places; accordingly, their species differ:
1. Green cicada . It is found everywhere in China, Kazakhstan, the USA, most regions of the Russian Federation and many countries of Western Europe. They live mainly in swampy areas, in flooded or wet meadows, where a lot of lush grasses and sedges grow. The wings are greenish, the body is yellowish, and the abdomen is blue-black. Considered a pest. Cereals are especially affected by green cicadas.
2. White cicada - metalkafa or citrus. Grayish in color with a whitish tint, length no more than 9 mm, the insect, together with its wings, has an elongated shape. It looks a little like a drop, even like a small moth.
It's hard to believe that the fluffy growths that appear on plants in mid-spring are living metalcaf larvae that cause damage to agricultural plants.
3. Buffalo cicada or humpback cicada . Above their head is a peculiar growth that gives this species its name. It parasitizes green grape stems, in which it hides eggs, after cutting the shoot bark with the ovipositor, which causes the damaged stems to die.
4. Mountain cicada . Distributed in China, the USA, Turkey, Palestine, and also found in large quantities in the Far East and Southern Siberia. Its body is about 2.5 cm long, very dark, almost black, its wings are thin and transparent.
5. Ash cicada . It is half the size of an ordinary one. Entomologists classify it as a member of the songbird family. The name comes from the manna ash tree, whose branches insects chose to lay eggs. The body dimensions of individual specimens reach 28 mm, the wingspan is up to 70 mm.
On the thick, almost transparent abdomen, reddish segments and small hairs are clearly visible. There are brown dots on the veins and surfaces of the wings. They feed only on sap, which is extracted from plants and young branches of bushes. They prefer olives, eucalyptus, and grapes.
Unique periodic cicadas (Magicicada) from North America, whose life cycle is 13 and 17 years, are also classified as songbirds. They differ in that they degenerate en masse into adults. The insects are sometimes given a unique nickname - “seventeen-year-old locust”. But they have nothing to do with locusts.
Lifestyle and habitat
Adult cicadas emerge from the ground in summer and cut the bark of young branches with a serrated ovipositor. Then they hide the oviposition under it. The hatched larvae fall to the ground, bite into its thickness, and already at a depth of more than a meter continue their development.
They bite through the roots of trees and feed on their sap. The larvae have a light, opaque body, first white and later buffy, with long antennae and powerful forelegs. They spend 2 or 4 years in their burrow, almost until they grow up, and only just before their transformation do they rise to the surface.
The cicada always burrows deeper in winter and hibernates. At this time, the larva develops and gradually turns into a nymph, and after the soil has sufficiently warmed up, they emerge and begin to dig small chambers for pupation.
Most people can hear the sounds that cicadas make at a distance of up to 900 m, as the power of their love trills reaches up to 120 dB. The males “sing” the loudest - in this way they call their future partners and make the right impression on them.
Sometimes the sound of a cicada begins to resemble not clicks or chirping, but the screeching sound of a circular saw. In order to crack loudly, they use certain muscles, with the help of which they act on the cymbals - two membranes (tymbal organs).
The loud sound vibrations that appear during this process are amplified by a special camera. She also works in the same rhythm with them. looks great in the photo , where you can see its structure in detail.
Females also know how to make sounds, but they sing rarely and very quietly, sometimes even so much so that the sounds are indistinguishable to the human ear. Sometimes cicadas gather in large groups and then the noise made by the insects does not allow predators who want to try something tasty to approach them.
However, it is difficult to catch cicadas because they can fly. In damp or cloudy weather, cicadas are inactive and especially shy. In warm sunny times they are quite active.
Nutrition
The feeding peculiarity of cicadas is such that in many countries they are considered parasitic insects. Vineyards, garden plants and trees suffer from their invasions. Adult cicadas damage stems, branches, and leaves with their proboscis, extracting the desired juice from them.
Having been saturated, they are removed, and life-giving moisture continues to flow from the “wound,” gradually turning into manna - a sticky, sweetish substance (medicinal resin). Cicada larvae living in the soil damage the roots as they suck out the liquid from them. The degree of their danger to agricultural crops has not yet been established.
Because of their powerful mouthparts, cicadas can “suck out” and damage even plant tissue located deep inside. As a result, after such feeding, crops may die. In agricultural areas where there are many cicadas, farmers often notice a drop in yield. Both larvae and adults can be dangerous.
Insect danger: damage from cicadas
These insects do not pose a direct threat to humans . Cicadas are exclusively herbivorous. But agricultural plantings can suffer from the activity of cicadas and their larvae. Although in most cases these arthropods are not considered harmful pests of crop production, there are still exceptions.
First of all, it is worth noting that cicadas lay their eggs in plant tissue . To do this, they use a sharp ovipositor to make cuts on the surface of the branches. If there are many such “wounds”, then the plant may suffer noticeably . And not only from loss of juice. And also from the attack of viruses, bacteria and other microscopic parasites that begin to actively multiply at the site of the incision.
In Australia, there are leafhoppers that are pests of sugar cane . Some Japanese species suck the juices out of rice , significantly reducing its yield. Others are not so picky about plants and feed on any crops and trees .
In addition, it is worth noting some indirect harm from cicadas. Thus, bees are very fond of the excess sugary secretions formed when they feed on juices. They collect it. However , the resulting honey becomes poisonous .
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We haven't told you everything about these interesting insects. However, you probably already have an idea about cicadas. They are very diverse and arouse interest not only among scientists, but also among ordinary people. In eastern countries, lovers of their singing sometimes breed cicadas as domestic song animals . For those who just want to listen to the sounds of cicadas in nature, we advise you to go to the Krasnodar Territory, Crimea or the Black Sea coast in the summer)
Reproduction and lifespan
Males, when calling their mates, most often chirp during the hottest time of the day. To do this, they require a lot of energy, which they replenish directly from solar heat. But some species, recently, are trying not to attract predators and start their serenades in the evening, at dusk.
Males try to choose shady places even during the day. Platypleura cicadas have especially adapted to this; they have mastered thermoregulation and can warm themselves by squeezing the muscles with which they fly.
To attract lovely ladies, male cicadas in the southern United States begin to make sounds somewhat reminiscent of the whistle of a steam locomotive. Cicada reproduction is unusual for many species. As soon as the insect fertilizes the female, it dies immediately.
But females still have to lay eggs. They can have from 400 to 900 eggs in one oviposition. In addition to the bark and stems, eggs can be neatly hidden in the root parts of plants, often in winter crops and carrion.
On average, adult insects do not have a long lifespan; they are allowed to stay at the festival for no more than 3 or 4 weeks. There is only enough time to find a partner and lay eggs, which will then be hidden by the females under the bark, in the petioles of leaves, and in the green stems of plants.
They are shiny, white at first, then darken. The egg is approximately 2.5 mm long and 0.5 mm wide. After 30–40 days, larvae will begin to emerge.
Descriptions of the life cycles of cicadas of different species are extremely interesting to entomologists and simply nature lovers. The larvae of unique periodic cicadas remain underground for many years, the number of which corresponds to the initial series of prime numbers - 1, 3, 5, 7 and so on.
It is known that such a larva lives no more than 17 years. However, this period is also considered a record for insects. Then, anticipating metamorphosis, the future cicada (nymph) gets out of its cozy little world and changes. The mountain cicada lives no more than 2 years, the common cicada lives twice as long - 4 years.
Special singing
The loudest warblers in the world produce about 6 varieties of melody. This is not only a call for fertilization, a sign of the beginning of the mating season, but also scaring, warning, attraction, communication.
Thanks to a special song, different types of cicadas do not get confused with each other. The female flies to the song of the male of her own family. A female can accurately determine the location of a male representative from half a meter away. The female sits down, flaps her wings, releases pheromones, which the male senses, and goes in search of her.
The auditory organs of cicadas are designed identically to crickets, but are more sensitive. Able to distinguish different warning signals, attractive sound. Male Caucasian mountain cicadas produce a crying sound that attracts females from a long distance. At a short distance, it sounds like an aggressive warning to other males. In this way, each male marks the area of his possessions. If something happens, he rushes into battle.
Interesting!
If you manage to catch a male, a terrible loud sound will immediately follow, which looks like a protest and a warning to others about the danger. In this way, insects communicate with each other and pick up the slightest vibrations in the air. The loudest warblers on the planet also have the most developed hearing system.
