Macicicadas In The Mood

Briefing Spotlight Actual wingspan is 6.2 cm Body length from eyes to bottom is 2.1 cm THE RED EYES of cicadas are only two of their five eyes. They have smaller, triangular eyes on the front of their head. AFTERALONG NAP, A SHORT VISIT Mayflies live only one or two days as adults. Locusts live three to five Magicicadas in The Mood. After 17 years in the soil, these bugs are swarming to mate months in the wild. Dung beetles, best known for representing the ancient Egyptian god Khepri, can live up to three years. BY ALEXANDER ACIMAN PERIODICAL CICADAS SPEND OVERA decade buried beneath the soil, feeding on xylem. And then one spring, they emerge, shed, swarm, sing, mate and die in a few short weeks. THE SONG Male cicadas gather in swarms to produce a mating song that can be deafening. The sound is the result of the buckling and contracting of the tymbal-a corrugated membrane that resonates in the abdomen. An interested female Magicicada responds with a click of her wing. MOLTING The insects emerge as nymphs and molt for about a week. Their new adult skin will harden and turn dark with Cicadas, once they emerge, live a few weeks. elements of red, black and amber. THIS YEAR'S BROOD Periodical cicadas tunnel up during spring and emerge around May. This year's Magicicada swarm is known as Brood II. There 400 30 billion WHILE THEY WERE Sources: National Number of eggs female cicadas can SLEEPING... In 1996, Brood II underground. Here's else happened that year. Geographic; University of Arizona; Magicicada.org; British Museum; San Diego Zoo; Radiolab .org; Australian Museum; NPR.org; University of Michigan Museum of Zoology; University of Maryland Number of lay. Offspring fall from the trees and are three 17-year cicada species and four of the 13-year kind. Thomas cicadas that will Larry Page and Sergey Brin begin work on a search engine that Yevgeny Kafelnikov and Steffi Graf win French Open singles titles. emerge with one order of business: burrow into the Nintendo Bill Clinton ground for 13 to 17 years. They emerge when the soil is 64°F (18°C). The reason behind their cycles is still unknown. Tupac Shakur is killed in Las Dolly, the first cloned sheep, Pfizer 64 is heads toward patents released in his renomination mating. Their odds are good, but birds will feast on them. Jefferson saw Brood II cicadas in Viagra. North will be called Vegas. debuts. for President. ADDITIONAL REPORTING America. 1775 at Monticello. Google. BY LON TWEETEN; ILLUSTRATIONS BY HEATHER JONES FOR TIME Photograph by Jamie Chung for TIME