Southern counterpart to 17-year periodical cicada. Emerges every 13 years in synchronized mass emergences.

Also called: 13-year Periodical Cicada, Brood XIX (one major brood)

Native status: Native to southeastern North America

§ Quick facts

SizeBody 2.5–3 cm; wingspan 7–8 cm
Weight~1 g
LifespanAdults 4–6 weeks; underground nymphs 13 years
OrderHemiptera
FamilyCicadidae

§ Encyclopedia

The term periodical cicada is commonly used to refer to any of the seven species of the genus Magicicada of eastern North America, the 13- and 17-year cicadas. They are called periodical because nearly all individuals in a local population are developmentally synchronized and emerge in the same year. Although they are sometimes called "locusts", this is a misnomer, as cicadas belong to the taxonomic order Hemiptera, suborder Auchenorrhyncha, while locusts are grasshoppers belonging to the order Orthoptera. Magicicada belongs to the cicada tribe Lamotialnini, a group of genera with representatives in Australia, Africa, and Asia, as well as the Americas.

Source: Wikipedia — Periodical cicadas Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

§ Identification

Field marks. Black-bodied cicada with orange-red eyes and amber-tinted wing veins. Distinguishable from 17-year cicadas only by year of emergence and geographic range.

Similar species. 17-year Periodical Cicada (different cycle). Annual cicadas (green; appear yearly).

Voice. Loud sustained chorus during male courtship; can reach 100+ decibels in dense emergences.

§ Diet & behavior

Diet. Nymphs: tree root sap. Adults: do not feed significantly; some sap.

Behavior. One of two major North American periodical cicada cycles (13-year and 17-year). Massive synchronous emergences every 13 years across the southeastern US (Broods XIX, XXII, XXIII). Densities can reach 1.5 million per acre — among the highest insect biomass on Earth during emergence. The simultaneous emergence overwhelms predators, a strategy called "predator satiation." 2024 saw a rare co-emergence of 17-year Brood XIII and 13-year Brood XIX — the first time these broods co-emerged since 1803.

§ Range

Southern US

§ Habitat

Deciduous forests

§ Threats

Forest loss, climate change.

§ Conservation status

According to the IUCN Red List, the periodical cicada (13-year) is currently classified as Least Concern.

§ What helps

Maintain mature forests. Tolerate emergence events.

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§ Further reading

§ Sources cited

  • University of Connecticut Periodical Cicada Research
  • Mt. Sinai School Cicada Project
  • iNaturalist