cicada

Seventeen-year sleeper

A cicada is a large flying insect known for the loud buzzing or clicking sounds males produce to attract mates.

Cicadas spend years underground as nymphs before emerging to molt, mate, and die within weeks.

Some species emerge in synchronized broods on 13- or 17-year cycles, appearing in vast numbers: The cicadas are deafening this summer.

lifecycle

emergence

Coming into existence

  • nymphNature spirit or larva
  • instarArthropod developmental stage
  • moltShed outer covering

exoskeleton · brood · underground · metamorphosis · adult · egg · hatching · shedding · tunnel · soil

sound

chirp

Short, high avian sound

  • buzzContinuous low drone
  • droneUnmanned flying machine
  • songMusical piece with words

stridulation · chorus · hum · resonance · vibration · frequency · decibel · serenade · symphony · cacophony

periodic

brood

Hatchlings as a group

emergence · periodical · interval · phenomenon · timing · clock · generations · recurrence · epoch · schedule

taxonomy

Hemiptera

True bug order

genus · entomology

anatomy

exoskeleton

External skeletal structure

antennae · proboscis · ovipositor · veins · spiracles · tarsi · membrane · cuticle

summer

heat

Transferred thermal energy

seasonal · afternoon · dusk · sweltering · sultry · midsummer · twilight · evening · tropics

relatives

leafhopper

Jumping sap-feeding insect

sharpshooter · lanternfly · planthopper

culture

symbolism

Representing concepts through images

metamorphosis · semi · Aesop · folklore · poetry · nostalgia · transience

ecology

habitat

Organism's natural environment

deciduous · canopy · abundance · distribution · parasitoid · fungus · niche · phenology

Categories
Opposites
sound/vocalization

cicadasilence

Total lack of sound

moth · butterfly · firefly · stick insect · walking stick

life cycle visibility

cicadahousefly

Domestic dipteran insect

cockroach · ant · mayfly · mosquito · aphid

taxonomic confusion

cicadalocust

Swarming crop-eating insect

grasshopper · cricket · katydid

Phrases
Family

cicadas

Familiarity
Top 200,000
Profile
Known to kids · Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Everyday, not technical · Rated G