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05/31/2008 04:16:36 AM · #26 |
Originally posted by NikonJeb:
Originally posted by Pug-H:
Great pictures. I haven't heard any of them in Japan yet (it hasn't been warm enough, for a start). They're definitely cicadas; please don't call them locusts. Locusts are grasshoppers. |
Ummm....no, the ones with the red eyes ARE what are referred to as seventeen year locusts.......and though they do not look anything like grasshoppers, they are accepted as locusts.
Cicadas have geen eyes. |
Okay, then it's a regional thing. No one would call them locusts in Australia, whatever the colour of their eyes. ;-Þ |
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05/31/2008 04:41:00 AM · #27 |
Originally posted by NikonJeb:
Originally posted by Pug-H:
Great pictures. I haven't heard any of them in Japan yet (it hasn't been warm enough, for a start). They're definitely cicadas; please don't call them locusts. Locusts are grasshoppers. |
Ummm....no, the ones with the red eyes ARE what are referred to as seventeen year locusts.......and though they do not look anything like grasshoppers, they are accepted as locusts.
Cicadas have geen eyes. |
Actually Pug-H is correct- using the term "locust" for cicadas is colloquial. Although cicadas are widely known as "locusts," technically speaking that is incorrect. Honestly, this is pretty much the same thing as people lumping all insects/arthropods into the category of "bugs," even though in actuality a "bug" is an insect belonging to the sub-order Heteroptera (which is actually in the same order (Homoptera/Hemiptera) as the cicada). Cicadas belong to the Cicadidae family. There has actually be a decent amount of debate on the nomenclature for this order (hence my listing it as Homoptera/Hemiptera) but the specifics of that are way beyond my scope and probably the interests of this forum....
Cicada Nomenclature Tree
So, although everybody in your area may know them as "locusts," in actuality, as Pug-H said, a locust is totally different and belongs to the order Orthoptera, and more specifically, the family Acrididae. In the US, the term locust is often used interchangably with grasshopper, and scientifically speaking, a locust is a type of grasshopper, so you can call a locust a grasshopper and be correct but calling any old grasshopper a locust may not be accurate. Europeans have somewhat of a different differentiation between using the term locust and grasshopper, and I'm not too familiar with how the line is drawn, so you're on your own there (in any case, we are speaking of common usage which is obviously distinctly different from correct usage).
Locust Nomenclature Tree
Now that I've finished boring everybody with inane taxonomic facts....
Message edited by author 2008-05-31 05:29:15. |
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05/31/2008 05:25:31 AM · #28 |
Well, they're commonly called locusts, but they are actually periodical cicadas. :)
//www.dcnr.state.pa.us/forestry/leaflets/pcicada.htm
eta; oops, I didn't notice a "page 2" before I posted!
Message edited by author 2008-05-31 05:26:12. |
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05/31/2008 05:29:05 AM · #29 |
Originally posted by spiritualspatula:
Now that I\'ve finished boring everybody with inane taxonomic facts.... |
Yayy, we've found a "bug" expert to bring all our questions to! :D
I know a bit, but I've definitely forgotten more than I remember about specifics. Glad there's someone who hasn't :) |
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05/31/2008 05:38:07 AM · #30 |
I can't claim that I recalled ALL of that off the top of my head.... I knew down to the order but that's it, and wanted to find a nice nomenclature tree to show the distinct difference. I've also had other discussions with people about this topic and other similar ones (hence the "bug" reference). Furthermore, I'm pretty familiar with the insects of Colorado, but not so familiar with ones that reside outside of my region. Having said that, I'd be willing to help whenever I can, and maybe I'll be able to add some additional research power to your notable efforts!
(saw the thread where everybody was trying to ID the 1st instar caterpillars) |
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05/31/2008 05:45:11 AM · #31 |
Yeah, I'm hopeless at caterpillars :(
And all my resource books are packed, since we're planning to move soon.
Trouble is, I learned all this in college 30 years ago but never worked in the field, so it's only been used for my own and my kids' curiosity and in places like this. It doesn't stay in a blonde head too well that way!
Oh, and did we finally get the caterpillars and moths right in the other thread?
(Gotta love DPC..... there's an expert on anything and everything in here somewhere.) |
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05/31/2008 06:04:12 AM · #32 |
| My guess is that seems correct, but alas, my knowledge (like yours) of young caterpillars isn't really up to snuff. Also, like you said, they are pretty much identical so an ID is very hard, even if they were to be on a specific host plant (which they weren't) and even if they were, sometimes insects get confused and lay on the wrong plant anyway... My other possible guess would have been one of the several tent caterpillars but I think they have quite a bit more fuzz, even when very young. The point is, there aren't really very many "social" caterpillars, so the list is dramatically lowered. |
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06/01/2008 02:41:19 PM · #33 |
Originally posted by BeeCee:
Did you, did you, did you... ? :) |
Yes I did... and couldn't stop!! I'll post some shots I'm excited about tommorrow, when I get to work. I don't have photoshop here :(.
I've been logging the progress (noise and such) on my camcorder too. I'll post that eventually.
I'm planning on shooting a series of one of them emerging tonight. It's quite amazing! Around midnight for the past 2 nights you can see literally hundreds of them emerging out of their shell and hanging upside-down to let their wings dry (i suppose). You can get an idea of what that looks like in one of my original pictures in this thread. Obviously getting louder every day.
Had a bunch of people over last night to break in our new deck. Funny how about half of us referred to them as cicadas and the other half were just as convinced it was locusts. |
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06/02/2008 05:01:54 AM · #34 |
| Good girl!! :D Can't wait to see 'em :) |
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06/02/2008 06:46:29 PM · #35 |
Here's a few more from the first batch... others coming soon!
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06/10/2008 06:52:24 PM · #36 |
| Hi! I live in Southern Ohio and we have got a bad infestation of these loud pests! The noise is absolutley TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You can hear them with the doors and windows closed....when you are driving down the expressway.....THEY ARE HORRIBLE!!!!!! Does anyone know approximately how long the last before they go away??????? |
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06/10/2008 07:19:11 PM · #37 |
Cicadas ... we have had them for almost 2 weeks all over our yard!
â€Â¢The cicada is related to the harvest fly.
â€Â¢Some cicada's live underground for seventeen years.
â€Â¢The cicada grows up to three inches.
â€Â¢Cicadas suck juice from tree roots when they are larva.
â€Â¢Once the female cicada comes above ground, she mates. Then she lays her eggs and dies.
â€Â¢The cicada can lay four hundred to six hundred eggs.
â€Â¢The adult cicada lives in trees.
â€Â¢Adult cicadas live for thirty to forty days.
â€Â¢A cicada can chirp so loud you can hear it from half a mile away.
â€Â¢A male cicada abdomen has two drum like sound chambers.
Message edited by author 2008-06-10 19:21:19. |
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06/11/2008 01:02:26 PM · #38 |
I imagine the noise is almost over. They have stopped emerging and started mating and laying.
 
The black thingy is pumping eggs into the tree. It was pretty neat to watch. |
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06/11/2008 01:13:05 PM · #39 |
Those are all really great. Aren't you glad you made yourself go out there? :)
(And that "black thingy" is the ovipositor.) |
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06/11/2008 01:15:05 PM · #40 |
Originally posted by BeeCee:
We don't get those here at all. Our weather probably doesn't get hot enough to make them happy :) In the summer you can hear the odd cicada, but no "plagues", thank goodness! I just can't abide the NOISE.
Nah, all our interesting "bugs" are at the Bug Zoo, dammit :)
I know what you mean about the flying at ya thing. I detest craneflies for that reason... blech! |
is this your hand??????? |
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06/11/2008 01:16:42 PM · #41 |
| you are getting some really good pictures of these lil critters! keep up the good work, and although im not a 'bug' fan, i enjoy the pictures |
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06/11/2008 01:17:15 PM · #42 |
It's  Becky-Lee's (my daughter), but she's got pretty much the same shots with them on mine :D It was AWESOME!
These guys I didn't hold, though :)
Message edited by author 2008-06-11 13:18:40. |
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06/11/2008 01:37:36 PM · #43 |
Originally posted by BeeCee:
Those are all really great. Aren't you glad you made yourself go out there? :)
(And that "black thingy" is the ovipositor.) |
Heck yeah, I've got the whole few weeks documented. I even caught the noise and commotion on video. Now I just need to figure out how to edit videos real quick. Can't be too hard, right? :P Maybe by the next time they emerge I'll have it all figured out.
ETA: an ovipositor... coooool! You know what Homer says about useless facts... every time you learn one, you lose one. I wonder which one I just lost.
Message edited by author 2008-06-11 13:39:45. |
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06/11/2008 01:40:20 PM · #44 |
Originally posted by cynthiann:
Heck yeah, I've got the whole few weeks documented. I even caught the noise and commotion on video. Now I just need to figure out how to edit videos real quick. Can't be too hard, right? :P Maybe by the next time they emerge I'll have it all figured out. |
If you have you're doing better than I! |
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06/16/2008 08:44:05 PM · #45 |
We got a giant hatch of cicadas here now, although they are of a very different variety. They also aren't nearly as annoying since they mostly make more of a clicking sound, and only prefer the higher country, so the city is mostly safe.
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06/16/2008 09:09:08 PM · #46 |
| Their wings just amaze me. |
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06/16/2008 09:25:13 PM · #47 |
They are finally starting to quiet down a bit here and it seems by the end of the week all will be quiet outside again!
I love their wings too, they have great detail in them. |
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06/18/2008 10:53:48 AM · #48 |
| Yeah, I'm going to miss the noisy little buggers. I'll be happy to see my birds out again, though. I imagine I haven't seen them because they've been too full to fly. It's been a smörgåsbord of grub lately for them. |
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