There are seven species of periodical cicadas. These are most easily distinguished by the very specific male call. Each species has as its closest relative a species with the alternate lifecycle. While it may be that in fact these are not actually seven distinct species, they are considered as such until more data comes in to resolve this question.

13-year cicada species:
• Magicicada tredecim (Walsh and Riley 1868)
• Magicicada neotredecim (Marshall and Cooley 2000)
• Magicicada tredecassini (Alexander and Moore 1962)
• Magicicada tredecula (Alexander and Moore 1962)
17-year cicada species:
• Magicicada septendecim (L. 1758)
• Magicicada cassini (Fisher 1851)
• Magicicada septendecula (Alexander and Moore 1962)

Magicicada septendecim is a 17-year cicada, and the largest and most familiar of the all the periodic cicadas. It is morphologically and behaviorally similar to M. tredecim and M. neotredecim; these three species are classed together as the closely related “decim” group, and share a similar call, which sounds like “Pharaoh”.

(Cooley, 2011; Cooley and Marshall 2011; Wikipedia 2011)

Periodical cicadas (members of the genus Magicicada) are only found in the United States, east of the Great Plains. Magicicada septendecim is found in the eastern, western, and especially northern parts of this area, thus being primarily located in the northern midwestern and eastern United States (Simon 1996).

Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Like all adult members of the Magicicada genus, Magicicada septendecim is black in color and about 1.5 inches in length. Its eyes and legs are generally reddish-orange, and the wings are clear with orange veins. Magicicada septendecim is the largest Magicicada species. Characteristics that distinguish the species from other Magicicada species include broad orange stripes on the abdominal underside and an orange spot on the side of the thorax (Road 1991, Cooley and Marshall 1997).

Systems

• Terrestrial

The majority of the life of Magicicada septendecim is spent in an underground or subterranean habitat. The area in which a periodical cicada brood is located must contain a large population of deciduous trees, on whose roots the cicadas feed during the underground nymph stages. The trees are also necesary for the molt into adulthood, choruses, and egg-laying (Boyer 1996).

Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial

Terrestrial Biomes: forest

Other Habitat Features: suburban

Magicicada septendecim spends the vast majority of its 17-year life underground, in several juvenile stages, where it feeds by sucking juices from the roots of plants, especially deciduous trees (Boyer 1996). Although the majority of time during the adult portion of the cicada's life is spent engaging in reproductive behavior, the adults do feed by sucking fluids out of trees (Cooley and Marshall 1997).

The17-year life cycle of Magicicada septendecim is of critical importance to its reproductive behavior. All members of the genus Magicicada remain in groups known as broods. In the case of M. septendecim, single brood emerges from underground together once every 17 years . In a year when a given brood has emerged to reproduce, female Magicicada septendecim mature and lay eggs in the twigs of trees. Hatching occurs during the middle of the summer, and the nymphs burrow one to three meters underground. Magicicada septendecim nymphs remain underground for 17 years, feeding and going through several juvenile stages. In the spring of the 17th year, the nymphs build exit tunnels, and generally emerge during the month of May. An entire brood sometimes emerges during one night. The nymphs then attach themselves to the bark of a nearby tree and undergo one final molt, becoming adults. Within four or five days of emergence, the males form singing choruses, as the females wait nearby. The males alternate between singing and flying until they find a female of their species willing to mate. Mating is achieved through copulation, and both males and females generally mate with several partners during the period. After a female has mated, she uses her needle-like egg-laying mechanism, called an ovipositor, to make small slits in twigs, where the eggs are to be layed. A single female can lay up to 500 eggs, and after this process, the female drops to the ground and dies. Neither the male nor the female lives past early July. The new nymphs, about 2.5 mm in length, hatch and journey to the ground, and the 17-year cycle begins anew (Cooley and Marshall 1997, Boyer 1996, Alexander 1990).

Although periodical cicadas are not commonly mentioned as threatened species, there is documentation of individuals possibly being harmed by human effects on the environment. During an emergence in a front yard in Chicago in 1990, many of the cicadas had very deformed wings. The use of lawn chemicals was one of the possible explantions for the deformities(Cooley and Marshall 1997). This species is listed as lower risk by the IUCN.

US Federal List: no special status

CITES: no special status

State of Michigan List: no special status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: lower risk - near threatened

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Rounded Global Status Rank: G4 - Apparently Secure

A periodical cicada chorus can become remarkably loud, and is thereby a nuisance to humans. The sheer numbers of a brood can also cause problems, as cicadas fluttering into cars and frightening drivers have caused automobile accidents. The most serious problem related to periodical cicadas is damage to trees. When female Magicicadas cut slits and lay eggs in twigs, the twigs may split, whither, and die. This problem, known as flagging, is not serious for mature trees, but it can greatly harm young trees. Thus, it is recomended that in areas of Magicicada broods, trees not be planted during the year before an expected emergence (Road 1991).

The very long life cycle and emergence in broods of Magicicada septendecim and related species is a relatively unique and fascinating phenomenon, and is heavily studied by the scientific community.