---
title: "What the sources say about the Periodical Cicada | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "54 claims from the Periodical Cicada profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Periodical Cicada (*Magicicada septendecim*)

> 54 claims from the Periodical Cicada profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Periodical Cicada](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/periodical-cicada/)

## Magicicada septendecim (Linnaeus' 17-year cicada). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Magicicada_septendecim/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| remarkably loud | A periodical cicada chorus can become remarkably loud (note: tagline) |
| Emerges from underground with its whole brood, once every 17 years | single brood emerges from underground together once every 17 years (note: superpower) |
| Juices from plant roots as a nymph, fluids from trees as an adult | feeds by sucking juices from the roots of plants, especially deciduous trees ... the adults do feed by sucking fluids out of trees (note: stats.diet) |
| Deciduous forests of the eastern United States | The area in which a periodical cicada brood is located must contain a large population of deciduous trees (note: stats.habitat; range in next claim) |
| hatches in a twig, drops to the ground and burrows in | female Magicicada septendecim mature and lay eggs in the twigs of trees. Hatching occurs during the middle of the summer, and the nymphs burrow |
| about 2.5 mm long | The new nymphs, about 2.5 mm in length, hatch and journey to the ground |
| It feeds by sucking juices from plant roots, especially those of deciduous trees | feeds by sucking juices from the roots of plants, especially deciduous trees |
| goes through several juvenile stages | nymphs remain underground for 17 years, feeding and going through several juvenile stages |
| A single M. septendecim brood emerges once every 17 years, and an entire brood sometimes emerges during one night. | single brood emerges from underground together once every 17 years . ... An entire brood sometimes emerges during one night. |
| Periodical cicadas live in broods | All members of the genus Magicicada remain in groups known as broods. (note: genus scope, said as 'periodical cicadas' (ADW: periodical cicadas are the genus Magicicada)) |
| In the spring of the 17th year, nymphs build exit tunnels and generally emerge in May. | In the spring of the 17th year, the nymphs build exit tunnels, and generally emerge during the month of May. |
| attaches itself to the bark of a nearby tree and goes through one final molt | The nymphs then attach themselves to the bark of a nearby tree and undergo one final molt, becoming adults. |
| The adult is black, with eyes that are generally reddish-orange and clear wings with orange veins. | is black in color and about 1.5 inches in length. Its eyes and legs are generally reddish-orange, and the wings are clear with orange veins. |
| Within four or five days, the males form singing choruses. | Within four or five days of emergence, the males form singing choruses |
| Only males sing, and they do it with a pair of rigid membranes called tymbals near the abdomen. | Only males can produce songs, and they do so with a pair of rigid membranes (called tymbals) near the abdomen. |
| The calling song of this species is said to sound like the word "Pharaoh". | The calling song of Magicicada septendecim is said to sound like the word "Pharaoh" |
| A chorus can become remarkably loud. | A periodical cicada chorus can become remarkably loud |
| It is generally accepted that brooding behavior exists mainly to overwhelm predators. | It is generally accepted that brooding behavior exists mainly to "overwhelm" predators. |
| The logic is that with so many cicadas in a small area, even if many are eaten, enough survive to reproduce. | with such a large population in a relatively small area, even if many individuals are preyed upon, the mating population will still be sufficiently large so that many individuals will survive to reproduce. (note: paraphrase) |
| Both sexes generally mate with several partners. | both males and females generally mate with several partners during the period |
| A female then uses her needle-like ovipositor, an egg-laying tool, to cut slits in twigs. | she uses her needle-like egg-laying mechanism, called an ovipositor, to make small slits in twigs |
| A single female can lay up to 500 eggs, and afterward she drops to the ground and dies. | A single female can lay up to 500 eggs, and after this process, the female drops to the ground and dies. |
| Neither males nor females live past early July. | Neither the male nor the female lives past early July. |
| Its genus is found only in the United States, east of the Great Plains, and M. septendecim is primarily located in the northern midwestern and eastern parts of that area. | Periodical cicadas (members of the genus Magicicada ) are only found in the United States, east of the Great Plains. ... thus being primarily located in the northern midwestern and eastern United States |
| Twigs may split, wither and die, which is called flagging. | the twigs may split, whither, and die. This problem, known as flagging (note: source misspells wither) |
| It is not serious for mature trees, but it can greatly harm young trees. | is not serious for mature trees, but it can greatly harm young trees |
| This species has broad orange stripes on the underside of the abdomen and an orange spot on the side of the thorax. | include broad orange stripes on the abdominal underside and an orange spot on the side of the thorax |
| 17 years underground | nymphs remain underground for 17 years (note: tagline) |
| Within four or five days, the males form singing choruses | Within four or five days of emergence, the males form singing choruses (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim) |
| a pair of rigid membranes called tymbals | Only males can produce songs, and they do so with a pair of rigid membranes (called tymbals) near the abdomen. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim) |
| a chorus can become remarkably loud | A periodical cicada chorus can become remarkably loud (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim) |
| tags: burrower | In the spring of the 17th year, the nymphs build exit tunnels (note: #981: nymphs dig into the soil and live 17 years underground, then tunnel out) |

## Periodical cicada, Magicicada septendecim L. (Hemiptera: Cicadidae). Forest Pest Insects in North America: a Photographic Guide.

https://www.forestpests.org/vd/267.html

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| then a few remarkably loud weeks | until most cicadas have died off (about four weeks from their first appearance) (note: tagline; 'a few weeks' for Forest Pests' about four weeks; 17 years claimed separately) |
| Deciduous forests of the eastern United States | Magicicada septendecim is widely distributed in the eastern United States. (note: stats.habitat) |
| drops to the ground | After eggs hatch, nymphs drop to the ground and burrow into the soil |
| Nymphs need 17 years to finish their development. | Nymphs require 17 years to complete their development. |
| Periodical cicadas live in broods, populations in different areas. | Broods (populations in different areas) (note: definition from Forest Pests; genus scope stated as 'periodical cicadas', next claim) |
| It is 40 mm in length, the largest of the periodically emerging cicada species. | is the largest of periodicallyemerging cicada species (adult, 40 mm in length) |
| This species is widely distributed in the eastern United States. | Magicicada septendecim is widely distributed in the eastern United States. |
| The eggs go into more than 70 kinds of trees and other plants. | This cicada lays its eggs in more than 70 species of trees or other plants |
| The only significant injury the insect causes comes from the egg slits. | The only significant injury caused by this insect is the dieback of small branches ("flagging") from the cuts made for oviposition. |
| Nymphs burrow into the soil and need 17 years to complete their development. | nymphs drop to the ground and burrow into the soil ... Nymphs require 17 years to complete their development. (note: faq) |
| Once the adults appear, most have died off within about four weeks. | covering plants with netting to exclude cicadas, which should be left in place until most cicadas have died off (about four weeks from their first appearance) (note: faq) |
| Larger trees and shrubs are not harmed, since the egg-laying damage comes only every 17 years and large plants can tolerate it. | it is not harmful to larger trees and shrubs since it only occurs every 17 years and large plants can tolerate this level of damage (note: faq) |
| On smaller trees, extensive egg-laying may be harmful. | On smaller trees, however, extensive oviposition may be harmful. (note: faq) |
| The cicadas are often too numerous for pesticides to be practical. | Periodical cicadas are often too numerous to make applications of pesticides practical. (note: faq) |
| Homeowners can protect small trees and shrubs with netting. | Homeowners who need to protect small trees and shrubs from damage can do so by covering plants with netting to exclude cicadas (note: faq) |

## Magicicada septendecim (L. 1758). Periodical Cicada Information Pages, University of Connecticut.

https://cicadas.uconn.edu/m_septendecim/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Its calling song is said to resemble the word "Pharaoh". | The calling song phrases are said to resemble the word “Pharaoh.” |

## Magicicada septendecim. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 1996: e.T12691A3373584.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.1996.rlts.t12691a3373584.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Near Threatened | Lower Risk/near threatened (note: stats.conservationStatus; the 1996 assessment is Lower Risk/near threatened (ver 2.3), and the schema has no LR value, so NT (its GBIF mapping) stays in the stats. Read from the 2018 Wayback copy of the Red List page (#1004).) |
| The IUCN Red List rates the species Lower Risk/near threatened | Red List Category & Criteria: Lower Risk/near threatened ver 2.3 (note: 2018 Wayback copy of the Red List page (#1004); GBIF maps it to NEAR_THREATENED) |
| in an assessment made in 1996 that the Red List itself marks as needing an update | Year Published: 1996 Date Assessed: 1996-08-01 Annotations: Needs updating (note: 2018 Wayback copy of the Red List page (#1004)) |
| the 1996 equivalent of Near Threatened | Lower Risk/near threatened ver 2.3 Year Published: 1996 (note: Lower Risk/near threatened is the version 2.3 category; GBIF's copy of this same assessment maps it to NEAR_THREATENED) |

## Brumfield et al. (2022). Gut microbiome insights from 16S rRNA analysis of 17-year periodical cicadas (Hemiptera: Magicicada spp.) Broods II, VI, and X. Scientific Reports.

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-20527-7

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| tags: herbivore | Like other cicadas, Magicicada feed on xylem fluid of roots, stems, and branches (note: #981: plant sap only; the same sentence goes on to the obligate Sulcia and Hodgkinia endosymbionts that supply what xylem lacks, the microbial half of the tag's definition) |

## Sota (2022). Life-cycle control of 13- and 17-year periodical cicadas: A hypothesis and its implication in the evolutionary process. Ecological Research.

https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1703.12354

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Periodical cicada nymphs usually live within 60 cm of the surface, most often 20 to 45 cm down. | Nymphs usually live within 60-cm depth, most frequently at 20 – 45 cm (Marlatt, 1907). (note: #1005: genus-scope figure (Magicicada), from Marlatt 1907; replaces ADW's one to three meters, which no primary source supports) |