The cicadas (/sɪˈkɑːdəz, -ˈkeɪ-/) are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha,[a] along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two families, the Tettigarctidae, with two species in Australia, and the Cicadidae, with more than 3,000 species described from around the world; many species remain undescribed.
Cicadas have prominent eyes set wide apart, short antennae, and membranous front wings. They have an exceptionally loud song, produced in most species by the rapid buckling and unbuckling of drumlike tymbals. The earliest known fossil Cicadomorpha appeared in the Upper Permian period; extant species occur all around the world in temperate to tropical climates. They typically live in trees, feeding on watery sap from xylem tissue, and laying their eggs in a slit in the bark. Most cicadas are cryptic. The vast majority of species are active during the day as adults, with some calling at dawn or dusk. Only a rare few species are known to be nocturnal.
One exclusively North American genus, Magicicada (the periodical cicadas), which spend most of their lives as underground nymphs, emerge in predictable intervals of 13 or 17 years, depending on the species and the location. The unusual duration and synchronization of their emergence may reduce the number of cicadas lost to predation, both by making them a less reliably available prey (so that any predator that evolved to depend on cicadas for sustenance might starve waiting for their emergence), and by emerging in such huge numbers that they will satiate any remaining predators before losing enough of their number to threaten their survival as a species.[1]
The annual cicadas are species that emerge every year. Though these cicadas' life cycles can vary from 1–9 or more years as underground nymphs, their emergence above ground as adults is not synchronized, so some members of each species appear every year.[2]
Cicadas have been featured in literature since the time of Homer's Iliad and as motifs in art from the Chinese Shang dynasty. They have also been used in myth and folklore as symbols of carefree living and immortality. The cicada is also mentioned in Hesiod's Shield (ll.393–394), in which it is said to sing when millet first ripens. Cicadas are eaten by humans in various parts of the world, including China, Myanmar, Malaysia, central Africa, and Pakistani Balochistan.
The name is directly from the onomatopoeic Latin cicada.[3][4][b]
The superfamily Cicadoidea is a sister of the Cercopoidea (the froghoppers). Cicadas are arranged into two families: the Tettigarctidae and Cicadidae. The two extant species of the Tettigarctidae include one in southern Australia and the other in Tasmania. The family Cicadidae is subdivided into the subfamilies Cicadettinae, Cicadinae, Derotettiginae, Tibicininae (or Tettigadinae), and Tettigomyiinae[6] they are found on all continents except Antarctica. Some previous works also included a family-level taxon called the Tibiceninae. The largest species is the Malaysian emperor cicada Megapomponia imperatoria; its wingspan is up to about 20 cm (8 in).[7] Cicadas are also notable for the great length of time some species take to mature.[8]
At least 3000 cicada species are distributed worldwide, in essentially any habitat that has deciduous trees, with the majority being in the tropics. Most genera are restricted to a single biogeographical region, and many species have a very limited range. This high degree of endemism has been used to study the biogeography of complex island groups such as in Indonesia and Asia.[9] There are several hundred described species in Australia and New Zealand,[c] around 150 in South Africa, over 170 in America north of Mexico,[10] at least 800 in Latin America,[11] and over 200 in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific.[12]
About 100 species occur in the Palaearctic. A few species are found in southern Europe,[8] and a single species was known from England, the New Forest cicada, Cicadetta montana, which also occurs in continental Europe.[13] Many species await formal description and many well-known species are yet to be studied carefully using modern acoustic analysis tools that allow their songs to be characterized.
Cicadidae A phylogenetic treatment suggested by a 2018 study.[6]Many of the North American species are the annual or jarfly or dog-day cicadas, members of the Neotibicen, Megatibicen, or Hadoa genera, so named because they emerge in late July and August.[14] The best-known North American genus, however, may be Magicicada. These periodical cicadas have an extremely long life cycle of 13 or 17 years, with adults suddenly and briefly emerging in large numbers.[14][15]
Australian cicadas are found on tropical islands and cold coastal beaches around Tasmania, in tropical wetlands, high and low deserts, alpine areas of New South Wales and Victoria, large cities including Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, and Tasmanian highlands and snowfields. Many of them have common names such as cherry nose, brown baker, red eye, greengrocer, yellow Monday, whisky drinker, double drummer, and black prince. The Australian greengrocer, Cyclochila australasiae, is among the loudest insects in the world.[16]
More than 40 species from five genera populate New Zealand, ranging from sea level to mountain tops, and all are endemic to New Zealand and its surrounding islands (Kermadec Islands, Chatham Islands). One species is found on Norfolk Island, which technically is part of Australia.[17] The closest relatives of the NZ cicadas live in New Caledonia and Australia.
Fossil Cicadomorpha first appeared in the Late Triassic. The superfamily Palaeontinoidea contains three families. The Upper Permian Dunstaniidae are found in Australia and South Africa, and also in younger rocks from China. The Upper Triassic Mesogereonidae are found in Australia and South Africa.[18] This group, though, is currently thought to be more distantly related to Cicadomorpha than previously thought.[19]
The Palaeontinidae or "giant cicadas" come from the Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous of Eurasia and South America.[18] The first of these was a fore wing discovered in the Taynton Limestone Formation of Oxfordshire, England; it was initially described as a butterfly in 1873, before being recognised as a cicada-like form and renamed Palaeontina oolitica.[20]
Most fossil Cicadidae are known from the Cenozoic,[21] and the oldest unambiguously identified specimen is Davispia bearcreekensis (subfamily Tibicininae) from 59–56 million years ago (Mya). One fossil genus and species (Burmacicada protera) based on a first-instar nymph has recently been reported from 98–99 Mya in the Late Cretaceous,[22] although questions remain about its assignment to the Cicadidae.[21]
Cicadas are large insects made conspicuous by the courtship calls of the males. They are characterized by having three joints in their tarsi, and having small antennae with conical bases and three to six segments, including a seta at the tip.[23] The Auchenorrhyncha differ from other hemipterans by having a rostrum that arises from the posteroventral part of the head, complex sound-producing membranes, and a mechanism for linking the wings that involves a down-rolled edging on the rear of the fore wing and an upwardly protruding flap on the hind wing.[9]
Cicadas are feeble jumpers, and nymphs lack the ability to jump altogether. Another defining characteristic is the adaptations of the fore limbs of nymphs for underground life. The relict family Tettigarctidae differs from the Cicadidae in having the prothorax extending as far as the scutellum, and by lacking the tympanal apparatus.[9]
The adult insect, known as an imago, is 2 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) in total length in most species. The largest, the empress cicada (Megapomponia imperatoria), has a head-body length around 7 cm (2.8 in), and its wingspan is 18–20 cm (7–8 in).[8][24] Cicadas have prominent compound eyes set wide apart on the sides of the head. The short antennae protrude between the eyes or in front of them. They also have three small ocelli located on the top of the head in a triangle between the two large eyes; this distinguishes cicadas from other members of the Hemiptera. The mouthparts form a long, sharp rostrum that they insert into the plant to feed.[25] The postclypeus is a large, nose-like structure that lies between the eyes and makes up most of the front of the head; it contains the pumping musculature.[26]
The thorax has three segments and houses the powerful wing muscles. They have two pairs of membranous wings that may be hyaline, cloudy, or pigmented. The wing venation varies between species and may help in identification. The middle thoracic segment has an operculum on the underside, which may extend posteriorly and obscure parts of the abdomen. The abdomen is segmented, with the hindermost segments housing the reproductive organs, and terminates in females with a large, saw-edged ovipositor. In males, the abdomen is largely hollow and used as a resonating chamber.[25]
The surface of the fore wing is superhydrophobic; it is covered with minute, waxy cones, blunt spikes that create a water-repellent film. Rain rolls across the surface, removing dirt in the process. In the absence of rain, dew condenses on the wings. When the droplets coalesce, they leap several millimetres into the air, which also serves to clean the wings.[27] Bacteria landing on the wing surface are not repelled; rather, their membranes are torn apart by the nanoscale-sized spikes, making the wing surface the first-known biomaterial that can kill bacteria.[28]
Desert cicadas such as Diceroprocta apache are unusual among insects in controlling their temperature by evaporative cooling, analogous to sweating in mammals. When their temperature rises above about 39 °C (102 °F), they suck excess sap from the food plants and extrude the excess water through pores in the tergum at a modest cost in energy. Such a rapid loss of water can be sustained only by feeding on water-rich xylem sap. At lower temperatures, feeding cicadas would normally need to excrete the excess water. By evaporative cooling, desert cicadas can reduce their bodily temperature by some 5 °C.[29][30] Some non-desert cicada species such as Magicicada tredecem also cool themselves evaporatively, but less dramatically.[31] Conversely, many other cicadas can voluntarily raise their body temperatures as much as 22 °C (40 °F) above ambient temperature.[32]
The "singing" of male cicadas is produced principally and in the majority of species using a special structure called a tymbal, a pair of which lies below each side of the anterior abdominal region. The structure is buckled by muscular action and, being made of resilin, unbuckles rapidly on muscle relaxation, producing their characteristic sounds. Some cicadas, however, have mechanisms for stridulation, sometimes in addition to the tymbals. Here, the wings are rubbed over a series of midthoracic ridges. In the Chinese species Subpsaltria yangi, both males and females can stridulate.[33] The sounds may further be modulated by membranous coverings and by resonant cavities.[23]
The male abdomen in some species is largely hollow, and acts as a sound box. By rapidly vibrating these membranes, a cicada combines the clicks into apparently continuous notes, and enlarged chambers derived from the tracheae serve as resonance chambers with which it amplifies the sound. The cicada also modulates the song by positioning its abdomen toward or away from the substrate. Partly by the pattern in which it combines the clicks, each species produces its own distinctive mating songs and acoustic signals, ensuring that the song attracts only appropriate mates.[14] The tettigarctid (or hairy) cicadas Tettigarcta crinita of Australia and T. tomentosa have rudimentary tymbals in both sexes and do not produce airborne sounds. Both males and females produce vibrations that are transmitted through the tree substrate. They are considered as representing the original state from which other cicada communication has evolved.[34]
Average temperature of the natural habitat for the South American species Fidicina rana is about 29 °C (84 °F). During sound production, the temperature of the tymbal muscles was found to be significantly higher.[35] Many cicadas sing most actively during the hottest hours of a summer day; roughly a 24-hour cycle.[36] Most cicadas are diurnal in their calling and depend on external heat to warm them up, while a few are capable of raising their temperatures using muscle action and some species are known to call at dusk.[32] Kanakia gigas and Froggattoides typicus are among the few that are known to be truly nocturnal and there may be other nocturnal species living in tropical forests.[37][38]
Cicadas call from varying heights on trees. Where multiple species occur, the species may use different heights and timing of calling.[39][40] While the vast majority of cicadas call from above the ground, two Californian species, Okanagana pallidula and O. vanduzeei are known to call from hollows made at the base of the tree below the ground level. The adaptive significance is unclear, as the calls are not amplified or modified by the burrow structure, but this may avoid predation.[41]
Although only males produce the cicadas' distinctive sounds, both sexes have membranous structures called tympana (singular – tympanum) by which they detect sounds, the equivalent of having ears. Males disable their own tympana while calling, thereby preventing damage to their hearing;[42] a necessity partly because some cicadas produce sounds up to 120 dB (SPL)[42] which is among the loudest of all insect-produced sounds.[43] The song is loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss in humans should the cicada be at "close range". In contrast, some small species have songs so high in pitch that they are inaudible to humans.[44]
For the human ear, telling precisely where a cicada song originates is often difficult. The pitch is nearly constant, the sound is continuous to the human ear, and cicadas sing in scattered groups. In addition to the mating song, many species have a distinct distress call, usually a broken and erratic sound emitted by the insect when seized or panicked. Some species also have courtship songs, generally quieter, and produced after a female has been drawn to the calling song. Males also produce encounter calls, whether in courtship or to maintain personal space within choruses.[45]
The songs of cicadas are considered by entomologists to be unique to a given species, and a number of resources exist to collect and analyse cicada sounds.[46]
In some species of cicadas, the males remain in one location and call to attract females. Sometimes, several males aggregate and call in chorus. In other species, the males move from place to place, usually with quieter calls, while searching for females. The Tettigarctidae differ from other cicadas in producing vibrations in the substrate rather than audible sounds.[9] After mating, the female cuts slits into the bark of a twig where she deposits her eggs.[9] Both male and female cicadas die within a few weeks after emerging from the soil. Although they have mouthparts and are able to consume some plant liquids for nutrition, the amount eaten is very small and the insects have a natural adult lifespan of less than two months.
When the eggs hatch, the newly hatched nymphs drop to the ground and burrow. Cicadas live underground as nymphs for most of their lives at depths down to about 2.5 m (8 ft). Nymphs have strong front legs for digging and excavating chambers in close proximity to roots, where they feed on xylem sap. In the process, their bodies and interior of the burrow become coated in anal fluids. In wet habitats, larger species construct mud towers above ground to aerate their burrows. In the final nymphal instar, they construct an exit tunnel to the surface and emerge.[9] They then moult (shed their skins) on a nearby plant for the last time, and emerge as adults. The exuviae or abandoned exoskeletons remain, still clinging to the bark of the tree.[47]
Most cicadas go through a life cycle that lasts 2–5 years. Some species have much longer life cycles, such as the North American genus, Magicicada, which has a number of distinct "broods" that go through either a 17-year, or in some parts of the region, a 13-year life cycle. The long life cycles may have developed as a response to predators, such as the cicada killer wasp and praying mantis.[48][49][50] A specialist predator with a shorter life cycle of at least two years could not reliably prey upon the cicadas.[51] An alternate hypothesis is that these long life cycles evolved during the ice ages so as to overcome cold spells, and that as species co-emerged and hybridized, they left distinct species that did not hybridize having periods matching prime numbers.[52]
A teneral cicada that has just emerged and is waiting to dry before flying away
Newly emerged adult cicada held on human fingers
Cicada exuviae after the adult cicada has left
Cicada clinging to the bark of an eastern red cedar tree in Oklahoma
Cicada nymphs drink sap from the xylem of various species of trees, including oak, cypress, willow, ash, and maple. While common folklore indicates that adults do not eat, they actually do drink plant sap using their sucking mouthparts.[53][54]
Cicadas, unlike other Auchenorrhyncha, are not adapted for jumping (saltation).[55] They have the usual insect modes of locomotion, walking and flight, but they do not walk or run well, and take to the wing to travel distances greater than a few centimetres.[9]
_with_Cicada.jpg)
Cicadas are commonly eaten by birds and mammals,[56] as well as bats, wasps, mantises, spiders, and robber flies. In times of mass emergence of cicadas, various amphibians, fish, reptiles, mammals, and birds change their foraging habits so as to benefit from the glut. Newly hatched nymphs may be eaten by ants, and nymphs living underground are preyed on by burrowing mammals such as moles.[25] In northern Japan, brown bears prey on final instar nymphs of cicadas during summer by digging up the ground.[57] In Australia, cicadas are preyed on by the Australian cicada killer wasp (Exeirus lateritius), which stings and stuns cicadas high in the trees, making them drop to the ground, where the cicada hunter mounts and carries them, pushing with its hind legs, sometimes over a distance of 100 m, until they can be shoved down into its burrow, where the numb cicadas are placed onto one of many shelves in a "catacomb", to form the food stock for the wasp grub that grows out of the egg deposited there.[58] A katydid predator from Australia is capable of attracting singing male cicadas of a variety of species by imitating the timed click replies of sexually receptive female cicadas, which respond in pair formation by flicking their wings.[59]
Several fungal diseases infect and kill adult cicadas, while other fungi in the genera Ophiocordyceps and Isaria attack nymphs.[25] Massospora cicadina specifically attacks the adults of periodical cicadas, the spores remaining dormant in the soil between outbreaks.[60] This fungus is also capable of dosing cicadas with psilocybin, the psychedelic drug found in magic mushrooms, as well as cathinone, an alkaloid similar to various amphetamines. These chemicals alter the behaviour of the cicadas, driving males to copulate, including attempts with males, and is thought to be beneficial to the fungus, as the fungal spores are dispersed by a larger number of infected carriers.[61]
Plants can also defend themselves against cicadas. Although cicadas can feed on the roots of gymnosperms, it has been found that resinous conifers such as pine do not allow the eggs of Magicicada to hatch, the resin sealing up the egg cavities.[62][63]
Cicadas use a variety of strategies to evade predators. Large cicadas can fly rapidly to escape if disturbed.[64] Many are extremely well camouflaged[64][65] to evade predators such as birds that hunt by sight. Being coloured like tree bark and disruptively patterned to break up their outlines, they are difficult to discern;[66] their partly transparent wings are held over the body and pressed close to the substrate. Some cicada species play dead when threatened.[67][68]
Some cicadas such as Hemisciera maculipennis display bright deimatic flash coloration on their hind wings when threatened; the sudden contrast helps to startle predators, giving the cicadas time to escape.[69] Most cicadas are diurnal and rely on camouflage when at rest, but some species use aposematism-related Batesian mimicry, wearing the bright colors that warn of toxicity in other animals; the Malaysian Huechys sanguinea has conspicuous red and black warning coloration, is diurnal, and boldly flies about in full view of possible predators.[70]
Predators such as the sarcophagid fly Emblemasoma hunt cicadas by sound, being attracted to their songs.[71] Singing males soften their song so that the attention of the listener gets distracted to neighbouring louder singers, or cease singing altogether as a predator approaches. A loud cicada song, especially in chorus, has been asserted to repel predators, but observations of predator responses refute the claim.[72]
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Cicadas have been featured in literature since the time of Homer's Iliad, and as motifs in decorative art from the Chinese Shang dynasty (1766–1122 BCE).[d] They are described by Aristotle in his History of Animals and by Pliny the Elder in his Natural History; their mechanism of sound production is mentioned by Hesiod in his poem "Works and Days": "when the Skolymus flowers, and the tuneful Tettix sitting on his tree in the weary summer season pours forth from under his wings his shrill song".[74] In the classic 14th-century Chinese novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Diaochan took her name from the sable (diāo) tails and jade decorations in the shape of cicadas (chán), which adorned the hats of high-level officials.
In the Japanese novel The Tale of Genji, the title character poetically likens one of his many love interests to a cicada for the way she delicately sheds her robe the way a cicada sheds its shell when molting. Cicada exuviae play a role in the manga Winter Cicada. Cicadas are a frequent subject of haiku, where, depending on type, they can indicate spring, summer, or autumn.[75] Shaun Tan's illustrated book Cicada tells the story of a hardworking but underappreciated cicada working in an office.[76] Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' play Appropriate takes place on an Arkansas farm in summer, and calls for the sounds of mating cicadas to underscore the entire show.[77]
Being lightweight and (on the legs) hooklike, the exuviae of cicadas can be used as hair or clothing accessories.[78]
Cicadas were eaten in Ancient Greece, and are consumed today in China, both as adults and (more often) as nymphs.[79] Cicadas are also eaten in Malaysia, Burma, North America, and central Africa, as well as the Balochistan region of Pakistan, especially in Ziarat.[80] Female cicadas are prized for being meatier.[44] Shells of cicadas are employed in traditional Chinese medicines.[81] The 17-year "Onondaga Brood"[82] Magicicada is culturally important and a particular delicacy to the Onondaga people,[83] and are considered a novelty food item by modern consumers in several states.[84]
Cicadas are featured in the protest song "Como La Cigarra" ("Like the Cicada") written by Argentinian poet and composer María Elena Walsh. In the song, the cicada is a symbol of survival and defiance against death. The song was recorded by Mercedes Sosa, among other Latin American musicians.
In North America and Mexico, there is a well-known song, "La Cigarra" ("The Cicada"), written by Raymundo Perez Soto, which is a song in the Mariachi tradition, that romanticises the insect as a creature that sings until it dies.[85]
Brazilian artist Lenine with his track "Malvadeza" from the album Chão, creates a song built upon the sound of the cicada that can be heard along the track.[86]
Cicada sounds heavily feature on the 2021 album Solar Power by New Zealand artist Lorde. She described cicada song as being emblematic of the New Zealand summer.[87]
Cicadas have been used as money, in folk medicine, to forecast the weather, to provide song (in China), and in folklore and myths around the world.[88] In France, the cicada represents the folklore of Provence and the Mediterranean cities.[89]
The cicada has represented insouciance since classical antiquity. Jean de La Fontaine began his collection of fables Les fables de La Fontaine with the story "La Cigale et la Fourmi" ("The Cicada and the Ant") based on one of Aesop's fables; in it, the cicada spends the summer singing, while the ant stores away food, and finds herself without food when the weather turns bitter.[90]
In Chinese tradition, the cicada (蟬, chán) symbolises rebirth and immortality.[91] In the Chinese essay "Thirty-Six Stratagems", the phrase "to shed the golden cicada skin" (simplified Chinese: 金蝉脱壳; traditional Chinese: 金蟬脫殼; pinyin: jīnchán tuōqiào) is the poetic name for using a decoy (leaving the exuviae) to fool enemies.[92] In the Chinese classic novel Journey to the West (16th century), the protagonist Priest of Tang was named the Golden Cicada.[93]
In Japan, the cicada is associated with the summer season.[94] For many Japanese people, summer hasn't officially begun until the first songs of the cicada are heard.[95] According to Lafcadio Hearn, the song of Meimuna opalifera, called tsuku-tsuku boshi, is said to indicate the end of summer, and it is called so because of its particular call.[96]
In the Homeric Hymn to Aphrodite, the goddess Aphrodite retells the legend of how Eos, the goddess of the dawn, requested Zeus to let her lover Tithonus live forever as an immortal.[97] Zeus granted her request, but because Eos forgot to ask him to also make Tithonus ageless, Tithonus never died, but he did grow old.[97] Eventually, he became so tiny and shriveled that he turned into the first cicada.[97] The Greeks also used a cicada sitting on a harp as an emblem of music.[98]
In Kapampangan mythology in the Philippines, the goddess of dusk, Sisilim, is said to be greeted by the sounds and appearances of cicadas whenever she appears.[99]
Cicadas feed on sap; they do not bite or sting in a true sense, but may occasionally mistake a person's arm for a plant limb and attempt to feed.[100] Male cicadas produce very loud calls that can damage human hearing.[101]
Cicadas are not major agricultural pests, but in some outbreak years, trees may be overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of females laying their eggs in the shoots. Small trees may wilt and larger trees may lose small branches.[25] Although in general, the feeding activities of the nymphs do little damage, during the year before an outbreak of periodic cicadas, the large nymphs feed heavily and plant growth may suffer.[102] Some species have turned from wild grasses to sugarcane, which affects the crop adversely, and in a few isolated cases, females have oviposited on cash crops such as date palms, grape vines, citrus trees, asparagus, and cotton.[25]
Cicadas sometimes cause damage to ornamental shrubs and trees, mainly in the form of scarring left on tree branches where the females have laid their eggs. Branches of young trees may die as a result.[103][104]
The cicadas (/sɪˈkɑːdəz, -ˈkeɪ-/) are a superfamily, the Cicadoidea, of insects in the order Hemiptera (true bugs). They are in the suborder Auchenorrhyncha, along with smaller jumping bugs such as leafhoppers and froghoppers. The superfamily is divided into two families, the Tettigarctidae, with two species in Australia, and the Cicadidae, with more than 3,000 species described from around the world; many species remain undescribed.
Cicadas have prominent eyes set wide apart, short antennae, and membranous front wings. They have an exceptionally loud song, produced in most species by the rapid buckling and unbuckling of drumlike tymbals. The earliest known fossil Cicadomorpha appeared in the Upper Permian period; extant species occur all around the world in temperate to tropical climates. They typically live in trees, feeding on watery sap from xylem tissue, and laying their eggs in a slit in the bark. Most cicadas are cryptic. The vast majority of species are active during the day as adults, with some calling at dawn or dusk. Only a rare few species are known to be nocturnal.
One exclusively North American genus, Magicicada (the periodical cicadas), which spend most of their lives as underground nymphs, emerge in predictable intervals of 13 or 17 years, depending on the species and the location. The unusual duration and synchronization of their emergence may reduce the number of cicadas lost to predation, both by making them a less reliably available prey (so that any predator that evolved to depend on cicadas for sustenance might starve waiting for their emergence), and by emerging in such huge numbers that they will satiate any remaining predators before losing enough of their number to threaten their survival as a species.
The annual cicadas are species that emerge every year. Though these cicadas' life cycles can vary from 1–9 or more years as underground nymphs, their emergence above ground as adults is not synchronized, so some members of each species appear every year.
Cicadas have been featured in literature since the time of Homer's Iliad and as motifs in art from the Chinese Shang dynasty. They have also been used in myth and folklore as symbols of carefree living and immortality. The cicada is also mentioned in Hesiod's Shield (ll.393–394), in which it is said to sing when millet first ripens. Cicadas are eaten by humans in various parts of the world, including China, Myanmar, Malaysia, central Africa, and Pakistani Balochistan.
Les Cicadoidea sont une super-famille d'insectes hémiptères, du sous-ordre des Auchenorrhyncha et de l'infra-ordre des Cicadomorpha. Les cigales forment la plupart des Cicadoidea.
Liste des familles et des sous-familles[1] :
Les Cicadoidea sont une super-famille d'insectes hémiptères, du sous-ordre des Auchenorrhyncha et de l'infra-ordre des Cicadomorpha. Les cigales forment la plupart des Cicadoidea.
Le cicale sensu lato (Cicadoidea) sono una superfamiglia cosmopolita di insetti dell'Ordine dei Rincoti Omotteri. Il nome comune cicala, in italiano, fa riferimento alla famiglia più rappresentativa, quella dei Cicadidae, ma per estensione comprende anche le sole due specie che formano la piccola e primitiva famiglia dei Tettigarctidae, comunemente chiamate, in inglese, hairy cicadas ("cicale pelose").
I Cicadoidei sono facilmente riconoscibili per le loro dimensioni del corpo e per la conformazione del capo e delle ali.
Il capo è tozzo e largo quanto il torace; alla vista dorsale si presenta corto, con occhi ben distanziati e disposti alle estremità laterali. La regione fronto-clipeale è molto larga per il marcato sviluppo dell'anteclipeo; il profilo di quest'ultimo è marcatamente convesso e la superficie carenata trasversalmente. È provvisto di tre ocelli, disposti a triangolo sul vertice del capo, e di antenne brevi e sottili, con flagello composto generalmente da 5 segmenti progressivamente più corti passando dal basale a quello terminale.
Il torace è ampio, con pronoto largo, mesonoto ben sviluppato in larghezza e lunghezza e metanoto breve. Le ali sono ben sviluppate, interamente membranose, sia le anteriori sia le posteriori, e percorse da una ricca venatura. In genere sono trasparenti e glabre, ma in alcune specie possono essere colorate o pelose. Raramente sono opache e simili a emielitre, con una parte basale sclerificata come negli Eterotteri[1]. A riposo sono ripiegate a tetto sull'addome e generalmente sono più lunghe di questo. Le zampe anteriori hanno i femori dilatati e provvisti di processi spinosi sul lato ventrale.
L'addome è affusolato posteriormente e quello delle femmine è provvisto di un robusto ovopositore in grado di perforare i tessuti vegetali lignificati.
La caratteristica generale più importante dei Cicadoidei è l'organo sonoro addominale, presente nei maschi. Ai lati del primo urite è presente una membrana vibrante, detta timballo, protetta esternamente da un'espansione del secondo urite, detta opercolo; la membrana è mossa internamente da un robusto muscolo, collegato al primo urosternite. Il sistema sonoro è integrato dal sistema tracheale, i cui sacchi aerei fungono da cassa acustica di amplificazione. In entrambi i sessi è inoltre presente, nella parte ventrale del primo urite, un organo uditivo formato da una membrana, detta timpano, protetta esternamente da un'espazione del metasterno. L'emissione del suono avviene per deformazione del timballo a seguito della contrazione del muscolo associato, seguita subito dopo dal rilascio e dalla riacquisizione della forma originaria per elasticità. L'alternanza fra contrazione e rilascio avviene ad un'elevata frequenza, tale da produrre un forte e ripetitivo suono, detto frinito o, comunemente, canto delle cicale.
Nei Tettigarctidae l'organo sonoro è presente sia nei maschi sia nelle femmine, ma è rudimentale e poco funzionale. In queste specie la comunicazione avviene trasmettendo la vibrazione del timballo al substrato su cui poggia l'insetto che viene poi rilevata per mezzo di sensilli localizzati nei tarsi.
La superfamiglia, largamente distribuita nel mondo, con particolare riferimento alle regioni tropicali e subtropicali, comprende circa 2600 specie[2]. La tassonomia interna della superfamiglia è controversa[2]; due sono gli indirizzi adottati dai diversi Autori fra la fine degli anni ottanta e gli anni novanta.
Lo schema tassonomico più largamente accettato suddivide la superfamiglia in due famiglie:
Un altro schema tassonomico eleva invece alcuni taxa inferiori dei Cicadidae al rango di famiglia. Secondo questo schema, la superfamiglia si suddivide in quattro famiglie:
Le cicale sensu lato (Cicadoidea) sono una superfamiglia cosmopolita di insetti dell'Ordine dei Rincoti Omotteri. Il nome comune cicala, in italiano, fa riferimento alla famiglia più rappresentativa, quella dei Cicadidae, ma per estensione comprende anche le sole due specie che formano la piccola e primitiva famiglia dei Tettigarctidae, comunemente chiamate, in inglese, hairy cicadas ("cicale pelose").
Cikāžu virsdzimta (Cicadoidea) ir cikāžveidīgo infrakārtas (Cicadomorpha) virsdzimta, kas apvieno 2 dzimtas. Šīs virsdzimtas sugas ir skaļākie kukaiņi pasaulē.[2] Pastāv viedoklis, ka dažu cikāžu sugu kopīgi radītā skaņa tās aizsrgā pret to ienaidniekiem - putniem. Skaņa var sasniegt 120 decibelu skaļumu, kas cilvēka ausij ir jau sāpīgi.[2] Kopīgi dziedot, putniem ir grūti noteikt arī cikādes atrašanās vietu.
Pieaugušām cikādēm ir masīvi veidots ķermenis ar 3 pāriem kāju un 2 pāriem spārnu, kas visi ir membrānas veida. Atkarībā no sugas to garums var būt 2,5 - 15 cm. Priekšspārni ir garāki un miera stāvoklī tie nosedz īsākos aizmugurējos spārnus. Parasti priekšspārni ir dzidri caurspīdīgi, bet dažām sugām dūmakaini. Spārniem noturību nodrošina spārnu smalko vēnu tīklojums. Visas kājas ir apmēram vienādā garumā, kas piemērotas rāpošanai. Pirmā pāra kāju augšstilbi ir resnāki kā citām kājām. Cikāžu virsdzimtas sugām ir lielas saliktās acis, kas atrodas galvas sānu plaknēs, bet galvas vidū pieres daļā ir 3 vienkāršās actiņas. Lai gan taustekļiem ir 7 - 10 posmi,[3] tie ir samērā īsi un atgādina skropstas. Mutes orgāns kā visiem blakšu kārtas kukaiņiem ir garš, knābim līdzīgs snuķītis. Kad cikāde nebarojas, tā snuķīti paloka sev apakšā starp kājām.
Dzied, sisina, čirkstina tikai cikāžu tēviņi un dziedāšanas galvenais iemesls ir pārošanās laikā piesaistīt mātītes uzmanību. Katrai sugai ir atšķirīgs dziedāšanas veids un mātītes spēj izšķirt savas sugas pretējā dzimuma dziedāšanu.[2] Pieaugušai cikādei ir ļoti īss mūžs, tikai dažas nedēļas. Lielāko daļu sava mūža cikādes (dažas sugas vairākus gadus) pavada nimfas stadijā, atrodoties zem zemes. Visas cikāžu sugas barojas ar dažādu augu sulu, to izsūcot ar savi snuķīti.[2]
Cikādes ir daudzu dzīvnieku barības avots. Tās medī putni, sikspārņi, zirnekļi, lapsenes, skudras, dievlūdzēji un koku circeņi.[2]
Cikāžu virsdzimta (Cicadoidea) ir cikāžveidīgo infrakārtas (Cicadomorpha) virsdzimta, kas apvieno 2 dzimtas. Šīs virsdzimtas sugas ir skaļākie kukaiņi pasaulē. Pastāv viedoklis, ka dažu cikāžu sugu kopīgi radītā skaņa tās aizsrgā pret to ienaidniekiem - putniem. Skaņa var sasniegt 120 decibelu skaļumu, kas cilvēka ausij ir jau sāpīgi. Kopīgi dziedot, putniem ir grūti noteikt arī cikādes atrašanās vietu.
Cicadoidea er en gruppe av insekter som utgjør en overfamilie blant plantesugerne. I verden er det ca. 1 300 arter, fordelt på to familier: egentlige sangsikader (Cicadidae) med rundt 1300 (noen kilder sier 2500) arter og den lille, australske familien Tettigarctidae med to kjente, nålevende arter.
Sangsikader er store sikader, mellom 15 og 110 mm lange.
De er ofte brunlige eller svarte, men det finnes svært fargerike arter. Mange har mørkere partier på vingene, gjerne som striper eller flekker.
Hodet er som regel litt smalere enn forryggen (pronotum). men stort og bredt med forholdsvis små fasettøyne som ofte er røde på farge. De har tre punktøyne (ocelli) oppe på hodet. Issen er mer butt foran enn hos dvergsikader og skumsikader. Den er ikke like framoverettet og går over i pannen i en jevnere bue. Munnen (rostrum), er en flerleddet sugesnabel, som den bruker til å stikke inn i planter og bladnerver, for å suge plantesaft. Den korte snabelen ligger bakoverbøyd, under hodet og mellom fremste lår, når den ikke er i bruk. Antennen er ganske kort, de første ledd er noe tykkere og kortere enn resten. Bakkroppen er omtrent kjegleformet, noe bredere enn de er høy. Beina er korte og kraftige, bakbeina er ikke dannet til hoppebein.
Vingene holdes taklagt bakover kroppen i hvile. Hos flere arter er vingene mer læraktige og uten et tydelig ribbenett, men de fleste artene har gjennomskinnelige (hyaline) vinger med tydelig årenett. De flyr vanligvis godt, ofte med en raslende lyd.
Nymfestadiet kan kjennes på at frambeina er omdannet til korte og kraftige gravebein. Siden nymfene lever underjordisk ser man dem vanligvis bare når de kryper opp rett før de voksne insektene klekkes.
Tettigarctidae skiller seg fra sangsikadene ved at kroppen er fint men tydelig hårete.
Sangsikader finnes helst på lune og soleksponerte steder. Mange arter foretrekker åpen skog med busk vegetasjon, og gressenger. Hunner finnes oftere i gresset og på lave busker. Hanner har en tendens til å oppholde seg høyere oppe i trær.
De suger plantesaft. Noen arter lever på flere planteslag, mens andre har bare en vertsplante.
Cicadidae har en høylytt sang, mens sangen til Tettigarctidae er knapt hørbar for mennesker. Det er bare hannene som synger, derav det gamle greske ordtaket "Lykkelige er sikadene, for deres kvinner er stumme". Den lager forskjellig sang for å lokke til seg hunner, for parring, eller for å markere seg. En sangsikade kan synge ganske høyt og sangen kan høres over lang avstand. I varmere strøk på jorden kan sang fra sikader være plagsomt. Lyden lages ved at en spent membran på bakkroppssidene strammes ved hjelp av muskler på innsiden og så slippes slik at den retter seg ut igjen – hvert slipp gir opphav til et klikk og tusenvis av klikk gir en mer eller mindre monoton summing. Mekanismen ligner på den man finner på lokkene på moderne syltetøy-glass, som kan klemmes inn og så spretter ut igjen dersom glasset har vært åpnet. Mange arter kan variere sangen ved hjelp av klaffer som virker som lyddempere. I motsetning til de fleste andre insekter i varme områder kan sangsikadene være i full aktivitet selv når dagen er på det varmeste, men det finnes også arter som synger mest i skumringen eller om natten.
Eggene legges på plantevev i noen små snitt hunnen lager. Sangsikader har ufullstendig forvandling, overgang fra nyklekt larve til det voksne kjønnsmodne insektet, går gradvis gjennom flere nymfestadier. Når nymfen klekker, slipper den seg ned på jorden og graver seg ned. Her kan den leve flere år, gjerne to til seks, avhengig av temperatur og art, og suger sevje fra røtter, mest av busker og trær. Nymfene har flere hudskift. Når den er klar for sitt siste hudskift kryper den opp av jorden og opp i et tre for å skifte hud. Man finner ofte de tomme nymfehudene fastsittende på strå eller trestammer, skinnet er nesten intakt men med en revne langs ryggen der de voksne insektet har krøpet ut. Hos de nordamerikanske periodiske sikadene (slekten Magicicada) tar utviklingen enten 13 eller 17 år. De voksne insektene forekommer bare (men da i enorme mengder) noen få uker hvert 13. eller 17. år. Det er ikke kjent hvordan de koordinerer klekkingen slik.
Overfamilien Cicadoidea består av bare to grupper (familier), foruten sangsikadene, familien Tettigarctidae, som bare omfatter to australske arter. Noen regner Cicadinae og Tibicinae som egne familier.
Cicadoidea er en gruppe av insekter som utgjør en overfamilie blant plantesugerne. I verden er det ca. 1 300 arter, fordelt på to familier: egentlige sangsikader (Cicadidae) med rundt 1300 (noen kilder sier 2500) arter og den lille, australske familien Tettigarctidae med to kjente, nålevende arter.
Cicadoidea – nadrodzina pluskwiaków z podrzędu cykadokształtnych, tradycyjnie zaliczanego do piewików.
Dawniej w obrębie Cicadoidea wyróżniano do 6 rodzin. Współcześnie wyróżnia się tylko dwie: Tettigarctidae i piewikowate (cykadowate)[1][2][3]. Analizy filogenetyczne Cryana i Svensona wskazują jako ich najbliższych krewnych Cercopoidea. Linie ewolucyjne Cicadoidea i Cercopoidea rozeszły się około 244 milionów lat temu[4].
Pluskwiaki o ciele długości od 10 do 110 mm[3][2]. Na dużej głowie obok pary oczu złożonych występują trzy przyoczka, rozmieszczone na ciemieniu na planie trójkąta. Larwy (nimfy) przechodzą rozwój w glebie, gdzie żerują wysysając soki z korzeni roślin. Charakterystyczna jest dla nich obecność odnóży grzebnych. Dorosłe owady nie potrafią skakać i znane są ze zdolności do wydawania dźwięków[3]. U Tettigarctidae tymbale (narządy dźwiękowe) występują u obu płci, ale są słabo rozwinięte. U piewikowatych tymbale mają tylko samce, ale są one lepiej rozwinięte, a wydawane dźwięki wzmacnia pudło rezonansowe w postaci pustych przestrzeni odwłoka[2].
Przedstawiciele nadrodziny najliczniej występują w klimatach ciepłych. Piewikowate są kosmopolityczne, a Tettigarctidae są endemitami Australii[2]. W Polsce stwierdzono 4 gatunki[5].
Cicadoidea – nadrodzina pluskwiaków z podrzędu cykadokształtnych, tradycyjnie zaliczanego do piewików.
Dawniej w obrębie Cicadoidea wyróżniano do 6 rodzin. Współcześnie wyróżnia się tylko dwie: Tettigarctidae i piewikowate (cykadowate). Analizy filogenetyczne Cryana i Svensona wskazują jako ich najbliższych krewnych Cercopoidea. Linie ewolucyjne Cicadoidea i Cercopoidea rozeszły się około 244 milionów lat temu.
Pluskwiaki o ciele długości od 10 do 110 mm. Na dużej głowie obok pary oczu złożonych występują trzy przyoczka, rozmieszczone na ciemieniu na planie trójkąta. Larwy (nimfy) przechodzą rozwój w glebie, gdzie żerują wysysając soki z korzeni roślin. Charakterystyczna jest dla nich obecność odnóży grzebnych. Dorosłe owady nie potrafią skakać i znane są ze zdolności do wydawania dźwięków. U Tettigarctidae tymbale (narządy dźwiękowe) występują u obu płci, ale są słabo rozwinięte. U piewikowatych tymbale mają tylko samce, ale są one lepiej rozwinięte, a wydawane dźwięki wzmacnia pudło rezonansowe w postaci pustych przestrzeni odwłoka.
Przedstawiciele nadrodziny najliczniej występują w klimatach ciepłych. Piewikowate są kosmopolityczne, a Tettigarctidae są endemitami Australii. W Polsce stwierdzono 4 gatunki.
Cicadidae é uma família da ordem Hemiptera, subordem Homoptera, que agrupa os insetos conhecidos pelos nomes comuns de cigarra e cega-rega.[1] Existem mais de 1 500 espécies conhecidas deste insetos (sendo que a Carineta fasciculata pode ser considerada como a espécie-tipo brasileira). São notáveis devido à cantoria entoada pelos machos, diferente em cada espécie e que é ouvida no período quente do ano. Os machos destes insetos possuem aparelho estridulatório, situado nos lados do primeiro segmento abdominal, emitindo, cada espécie, um som característico.
As cigarras também são reconhecidas pela forma característica e pelo tamanho grande, que varia cerca de 15 milímetros até pouco mais de 65 milímetros de comprimento e atingindo até 10 cm de envergadura. Possuem um "bico" comprido para se alimentar da seiva de árvores e plantas onde normalmente vivem.
A importância da cigarra no ecossistema é positiva, por um lado, por servir de alimento para os predadores e, negativa, por outro, porque constitui-se em pragas de algumas culturas. As suas ninfas vivem alimentando-se da seiva das raízes das plantas, causando sensíveis prejuízos pela quantidade de líquidos vitais que retiram e pelos ferimentos causados às raízes, facilitando a penetração de fungos e bactérias.
Muitas espécies de cigarra têm períodos diferentes de amadurecimento, com ciclos vitais de duração variada, enquanto as larvas ficam sob a terra. Mas sete espécies do gênero Magicicada têm uma característica adicional: elas são sincronizadas, ou seja, saem do chão todas ao mesmo tempo, para cerca de duas semanas de canto ensurdecedor, acasalamento e postura de ovos.
"Cigarra" originou-se do termo latino cicaro.[2]
Existem mais de 1 500 tipos diferentes de cigarra. Já foram detectados exemplares com desde vinte milímetros até 130 milímetros de comprimento. Normalmente, são encontrados em regiões de florestas tropicais, mas também podem ser encontrados em outros tipos de vegetações.
No compartimento interno da barriga do macho, desenvolvem-se os músculos e os elementos que soltam o som do canto da cigarra, que serve para atrair a fêmea. Além disso, ele também canta quando é atacado ou capturado por inimigos naturais.
De outro lado, o compartimento da barriga da fêmea fica lotado de ovos e a parte traseira desenvolve-se como ovulador.
A cigarra é um inseto de metamorfose incompleta (Hemimetabolismo). Ovo→Ninfa→Inseto adulto
As cigarras macho começam a cantar com ruídos agudos e intensos, visando atrair as fêmeas. As fêmeas também fazem um pequeno som, mas de menor intensidade. As cigarras macho cantam vibrando as membranas no lado de baixo do primeiro segmento abdominal. Elas são também capazes de fazer um grito alto quando perturbadas. Acredita-se que este grito pode ser eficaz diante de determinados predadores.
No caso do Japão, normalmente as cigarras adultas aparecem no verão, mas também existem tipos de cigarra que aparecem na primavera como o Haru Zemi - Terpnosia, e os que aparecem no Outono, como a cigarra coreana Suisha. Com o aquecimento global avançando nestes anos, já está até comum encontrar cigarras cantando nos meses de Outubro. O normal é a forma adulta viver entre 1 a 2 semanas devido à dificuldade natural de maturação. Entretanto, nos campos, diz-se que as cigarras sobrevivem por quase 1 mês.[3]
Além disso, o período como ninfa vivendo dentro da terra dura entre 3 a 17 anos e, no caso do abura zemi (Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata), é de 6 anos. Ao contrário do que se pensa ser uma sobrevivência curta, é, na realidade, uma das mais longas entre os insetos.
Entre os insetos, as cigarras são as únicas que produzem o som estridente que todos conhecem. Algumas das espécies maiores conseguem atingir os 120 decibéis com facilidade,[4] enquanto outras menores realizam a proeza de alcançar uma sonoridade tão aguda que seu canto simplesmente não é percebido pelo ouvido humano, embora cães e outros animais possam chegar a uivar de dor por causa dele.
Após o acasalamento, as fêmeas depositam os ovos em rachaduras nos caules de plantas hospedeiras. Depois que os ovos eclodem, as ninfas, fase jovem da cigarra, descem por fios de seda até o solo, onde elas ficam a maior parte da vida. No Brasil, o ciclo de vida desses insetos dura um ou dois anos, sendo apenas dois ou três meses fora do solo. Em outros países, como os Estados Unidos, o ciclo de vida das cigarras pode chegar a até 17 anos.
Até mesmo as cigarras se protegem contra o volume intenso de seu próprio canto. Tanto o macho como a fêmea dessa espécie de insetos possuem um par de grandes membranas que funcionam como orelhas. Elas são os tímpanos, conectados ao órgão auditivo por um pequeno tendão que reage quando o macho canta, dobrando-os para que o som alto não lhes provoque danos.
A crença de que as cigarras "explodem" quando cantam não é verdadeira. A "casca" da cigarra que encontramos presas às árvores são o exoesqueleto do inseto que realizou a última muda ou ecdise, concluindo sua forma adulta.[5]
As cigarras não se alimentam de moscas, vermes ou grãos. Enquanto jovens, elas sugam a seiva das plantas pela raiz e injetam toxinas. Na fase adulta, elas também se alimentam da seiva, mas, desta vez, sugada pelo caule e folhas das plantas. Para algumas culturas, as cigarras são pragas de grande importância. Segundo o professor do Departamento de Entomologia Agrícola, Marcelo Picanço, em alguns casos as plantas morrem ou ficam depauperadas, podendo ser encontradas milhares de ninfas nas raízes. A ingazeira, os eucaliptos e abacateiros são exemplos de plantas hospedeiras prejudicadas pelas cigarras, mas é na cultura de café que as cigarras causam maiores danos. Em Minas Gerais, o ataque das cigarras aos cafezais é mais frequente na região sul do estado. A depauperação da planta causa descoloração e queda precoce das folhas, sendo mais preocupante nas épocas de seca. As consequências são quebra significante da produção e até mesmo perda total da lavoura se não for controlada a tempo.
Para controlar a praga, são utilizados inseticidas aplicados na fase chuvosa para melhor absorção das raízes e para que as ninfas sejam combatidas logo que furam os solos. Também é possível fazer o controle com o fungo Metarhizium. Mas o controle biológico é mais eficaz quando associado ao uso de inseticidas, porque, dessa forma, o fungo tem mais facilidade de penetrar nas ninfas debilitadas.
Também é possível o controle cultural, eliminando os pés de café infectados, plantando outros no local após três anos e evitando o plantio de outras plantas hospedeiras do inseto próximo às plantações.
As cigarras estão presentes em quase todas as regiões do mundo, tanto em climas quentes como frios, e têm poucos predadores. Na fase adulta, são alimento para pássaros e, enquanto ninfas, são atacadas por besouros, por alguns mamíferos como o tatu e por formigas predadoras que vivem nos solos.
Quando falhamos ao tentar pegar uma cigarra, na hora que ela foge, ela costuma "urinar". No ditado popular, diz-se que ela "dá o troco pela tentativa"; entretanto, muitos dizem que na realidade, na hora que ela levanta voo, ela elimina o excesso de líquidos para deixar o corpo mais leve e facilitar a fuga. Outros dizem que seu ventre é fraco e o impulso do voo faz com que elimine o que está armazenado. Na realidade, ela está eliminando a seiva retirada da árvore e não necessariamente pondo em alvo quem a ataca. Isso não só acontece na hora do voo mas, mesmo durante a extração da seiva, isso vem a ocorrer.
Após análises, foi verificado que a substância excretada (a popular "urina da cigarra") praticamente só possui água, não sendo constatado praticamente quase nenhum resíduo tóxico.
Após o acasalamento, a fêmea faz cortes na casca de um galho para depositar os seus ovos. Ela pode fazer isso repetidamente, até que ela colocou várias centenas de ovos. Quando os ovos eclodem, as ninfas recém-nascidas caem no chão. A maioria das cigarras passa por um ciclo de vida que dura de dois a cinco anos. Algumas espécies têm ciclos de vida muito mais longo, como o gênero norte-americano, Magicicada, que tem um número distinto de "crias" que passam por qualquer um de 17 anos ou, no Sul dos Estados Unidos, um ciclo de vida de 13 anos. Estes ciclos de vida longos, talvez, desenvolvidos como uma resposta a predadores, como a vespa assassina de cigarras e louva-deus.
Um predador com um menor ciclo de vida de pelo menos dois anos não pode de forma confiável depredar as cigarras. As cigarras vivem no subsolo como ninfas a maior parte da sua vida, em profundidades que variam de cerca de 30 centímetros até 2,5 metros. A alimentação das ninfas é o suco da raiz e têm fortes patas dianteiras para cavar. No final ínstar ninfal, elas constroem um túnel de saída para a superfície e emergem. Elas, então, após um período de aproximadamente duas horas, ocorre o rompimento do tegumento ao longo da linha da ecdise, por onde emerge o inseto adulto mudando[6] (trocando de pele), em uma arvore por perto. Os exoesqueletos permanecem abandonadas, continuam agarradas à casca das árvores.
Ovos depositados nos cortes dessa árvore
Período de transformação desde ninfa até adulto
Saindo da casca rachada
Sai totalmente
Pendurada pelas patas e esticando as asas
A casca permanece presa
No total, existem aproximadamente 30 tipos conhecidos. Entretanto, os 3 tipos Cicadetta radiator, Cicadetta yezoensis, Baeturia kuroiwae são Tibicininae e todos os demais estão classificados como Cicadoidae.
Quanto ao canto da cigarra, mesmo sendo da mesma espécie, pode ter formas diferentes de expressão.
Euterpnosia chibensis
Mogannia minuta
Tanna japonensis
Meimuna opalifera
Oncotympana maculaticollis
Graptopsaltria nigrofuscata
Cryptotympana fucialis
Brasil
Cigarinha-do-milho (Dalbulus maidis) Cigarra-carineta (Carineta fasciculata) Cigarra-do-cafeeiro (Fidicina spp) Cigarra-do-cafeeiro (Quesada gigas) Cigarra-fidicina (Ficidina pullata, F. drewseni e F. mannifera) Cigarra-quesada (Quesada gigas e Quesada sodalis) Cigarrinha (Oncometopia facialis) Cigarrinha (Mahanarva fimbriolata) Cigarrinha (Agallia albidula) Cigarrinha (Deois flavopicta) Cigarrinha (Deois incompleta) Cigarrinha (Zulia entreriana) Cigarrinha (Acrogonia terminalis) Cigarrinha-verde (Empoasca kraemeri) Cigarrinha-da-folha (M. rubicunda identata) Cigarrinha-das-raízes (Mahanarva fimbriolata) Cigarrinha-das-crucíferas (Aethalion reticulatum) Cigarrinha-das-folhas (Mahanarva posticata) Cigarrinha-do-CVC (Dilobopterus costalimai) Cigarrinhas-das-pastagens (Decis flavopicta) Cigarrinhas-das-pastagens (Deois schach) Cigarrinhas-das-pastagens (Tomaspia sp.)
Sudeste Asiático
América do Norte
As cigarras normalmente botam seus ovos nos vãos das árvores, mas já foram detectados casos no Japão em que elas ovularam por engano em fios eléctricos e em cabos de fibra óptica, causando interferências nas telecomunicações. Em específico na região oeste do Japão, uma fêmea do Cryptotympana facialis ovulou numa fibra óptica e o cabo acabou sendo danificado.
No Norte dos Estados Unidos, houve uma grande infestação de cigarras e elas sugaram toda a seiva da árvore, acabando com a vida do vegetal.
Com um canto especial, a cigarra que sai para o mundo morre bem rapidamente, sendo motivo de emoção e símbolo do belo desde os remotos tempos no Japão e representando a sensibilidade pelas coisas óbvias da natureza.
As cigarras têm sido comidas por humanos na China, Malásia, Birmânia, América Latina, no Congo e nos Estados Unidos. No Norte da China, as cigarras são assadas ou fritas como guloseima.
As cigarras, bem como outros invertebrados serviam de alimento para os ameríndios.[7]
Os Cahuilla do sul da Califórnia, grelhavam as cigarras para comê-las. O que sobrava era seco e guardado para ser depois consumido puro ou acompanhando papas. Os Shoshoni de Idaho, Nevada, Califórnia e Utah coletavam os insetos pela manhã, quando estava frio, grelhavam-nos para queimar as pernas e asas e depois os trituravam. Os Paiute de Nevada, Califórnia, Oregon e Idaho coletavam os insetos pela manhã e pelo fim da tarde e os assavam em um pequeno buraco no solo. No processo, as pernas e asas eram queimadas e, depois, os insetos eram armazenados para consumo nos meses de inverno.[8]
Cicadidae é uma família da ordem Hemiptera, subordem Homoptera, que agrupa os insetos conhecidos pelos nomes comuns de cigarra e cega-rega. Existem mais de 1 500 espécies conhecidas deste insetos (sendo que a Carineta fasciculata pode ser considerada como a espécie-tipo brasileira). São notáveis devido à cantoria entoada pelos machos, diferente em cada espécie e que é ouvida no período quente do ano. Os machos destes insetos possuem aparelho estridulatório, situado nos lados do primeiro segmento abdominal, emitindo, cada espécie, um som característico.
As cigarras também são reconhecidas pela forma característica e pelo tamanho grande, que varia cerca de 15 milímetros até pouco mais de 65 milímetros de comprimento e atingindo até 10 cm de envergadura. Possuem um "bico" comprido para se alimentar da seiva de árvores e plantas onde normalmente vivem.
A importância da cigarra no ecossistema é positiva, por um lado, por servir de alimento para os predadores e, negativa, por outro, porque constitui-se em pragas de algumas culturas. As suas ninfas vivem alimentando-se da seiva das raízes das plantas, causando sensíveis prejuízos pela quantidade de líquidos vitais que retiram e pelos ferimentos causados às raízes, facilitando a penetração de fungos e bactérias.
Muitas espécies de cigarra têm períodos diferentes de amadurecimento, com ciclos vitais de duração variada, enquanto as larvas ficam sob a terra. Mas sete espécies do gênero Magicicada têm uma característica adicional: elas são sincronizadas, ou seja, saem do chão todas ao mesmo tempo, para cerca de duas semanas de canto ensurdecedor, acasalamento e postura de ovos.
Cicadoidea
Семейства
Cicadoidea (лат.) — надсемейство полужесткокрылых из подотряда Auchenorrhyncha, инфраотряда Cicadomorpha.
Задние ноги ходильные, их голени с боковыми шпорами, которые несут субапикальную специализированную щетинку. Глазков три. Усики 7-10-сегментные, без резкой дифференциации на толстое основание и тонкий бич, сегментация первичная[1].
2 семейства. Ранее выделяемое третье семейство Tibicinidae, теперь (Moulds, 2005) рассматривается в составе семейства Cicadidae.[2][3]
Cicadoidea (лат.) — надсемейство полужесткокрылых из подотряда Auchenorrhyncha, инфраотряда Cicadomorpha.
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