Periodical cicadas
Periodical cicadas are North American insects in the genus Magicicada whose broods emerge synchronously after 13 or 17 years underground.
Magicicada life cycle: The developmental sequence of Magicicada cicadas, from egg through years underground as a nymph to adult emergence. It traces the long underground phase and brief synchronized appearance.
Magicicada: A genus of North American cicadas that includes all periodical cicada species. The genus identifies the group defined by 13- and 17-year cycles.
Martha B. Davis: An American entomologist whose research helped clarify the biology and distribution of periodical cicadas. Her field studies contributed to understanding brood identities and life cycles.
Cicada emergences as ecological pulses: Brief, concentrated increases in cicada abundance that alter food availability and nutrient flows in ecosystems. Periodical broods create some of the most pronounced insect-driven ecological pulses.
Annual cicada: A cicada species whose adults appear every year, often because different cohorts emerge in successive years. Annual cicadas lack the sharply synchronized, multi-year brood emergence of Magicicada.
Cicada nymph: The immature, wingless stage of a cicada, which develops underground and feeds on plant roots. Periodical cicadas spend most of their lives in this stage.
Brood (cicada): A geographically defined population of periodical cicadas that shares an emergence year. Brood names distinguish synchronized populations that emerge in different years.
Charles Lester Marlatt: An American entomologist who developed a widely used system for naming periodical cicada broods. His brood numbering system remains part of how emergences are described.
Cicada predator response: Changes in predator abundance, diet, or behavior following a cicada emergence. Their predictable mass appearance lets ecologists study predator responses to prey pulses.
Dog-day cicada: A common name for North American cicadas that emerge in summer, including species that appear annually. Their summer calls can be mistaken for periodical cicadas, but their schedules differ.