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Tibicen canicularis
All Things Creepy, Crawly,
Strange, Weird and Unusual
Have you ever wanted to see a
bug up close?
Up REALLY Close?, But didn't want to get near it?, Much less touch it?,
Now you don't have to touch it or even come near these critters, I've
taken the liberty of photographing these bugs so you can now see
them up close and inspect them from the comfort and safety of your own
chair and never come in contact with the bugs that are fascinating and
intriguing.
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Tibicen canicularis
- Cicada,
Cicadidaea
Also known as the Dogday
Harvestfly.
The wings are magnificent and almost
transparent. The coloring on it's head is in earth tones of green, rust,
taupe & black with two solid white spots behind the head near the
shoulder area. I can only imagine this is for camouflage. What ever the reason for the spots the
bug itself is beautiful and when turned toward the light, the green on the wings are
more iridescent in color. |
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Cicada measures 1 1/8-1 1/4" (27-33 mm),
wingspan to 3 1/4" (82 mm), with black and green markings. Wings clear green along rear half of fore wing
margin. Adult is not known to eat although the Nymph feeds on root juices, especially
pine. The life cycle Nymphs take 3 years before maturing to adult. A new
generation hatches each summer in the same area.
It's habitat is Coniferous and mixed woods with it's range being that of NE.
United States and adjacent Canada. The name "Dogday Harvest Fly"
was given to to this particular species of Cicadas because
it's seen during the hot, "Dog Days" of summer. |
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In the photo on the right you can see the underbelly of the Cicada,
notice the long narrow tail, I've read that this is the area of the
Cicada that makes the chain-saw like sounds you sometimes hear. Can be heard mostly in the
summer during evening hours as the hot temperatures cool and the sun
starts to set, although I have heard many cicadas make this sound
during the sweltering hot afternoons |
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Cicadas has large, protruding bubble like eyes |
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The yearly-emerging Dogday Harvestflies, live in
the ground when immature
and will emerge as summer arrives.
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