Question 2 of 21

What order are cicadas classified in?

... Cicadas are not actually locusts, they are classified as belonging to the Hemiptera order, while locusts belong to the Orthoptera order.

Question 3 of 21

What is the main characteristic of the Hemiptera order?

... The insects belonging to the Hemiptera order have piercing and sucking mouth parts. They eat by piercing leaves and then sucking up the sap with their sucking parts.

Question 4 of 21

How many species of cicada are there?

... There are over 200 species of cicada. They belong to the Cicadidae family.

Question 5 of 21

What is the wingspan of the largest cicadas?

... Cicadas wingspans range from 2.5 cm (one inch) to 15 cm (six inches), depending on the species.

Question 6 of 21

What is the cicada's flying ability?

... Cicadas are notoriously poor flyers -- if they manage to get off the ground, they often crash into things.

Question 7 of 21

How many wings do cicadas have?

... Cicadas have four wings. There is a transparent fore wing that covers the shorter, opaque hind wing.

Question 8 of 21

How many pairs of legs does the cicada have?

... Cicadas have three pairs of legs, all the same length, which makes them poor jumpers.

Question 9 of 21

What are the three tiny eyes on top of a cicada's head called?

... A cicada has three tiny eyes on top of its head, which allow it to view predators above its head.

Question 10 of 21

What ability do a cicada's compound eyes give it?

... A cicada's compound eyes, on the sides of its head, give it very wide peripheral vision.

Question 11 of 21

What covers the cicada's mouth parts?

... The cicada's mouth parts are enclosed in a long sheath called a labium. This retracts between their legs when they are not feeding.

Question 12 of 21

Which sex of cicada is responsible for their deafening bellow?

... It is actually males who are responsible for the noise cicadas make -- their bellow mating call. Each species has its own distinctive tune.

Question 13 of 21

What decibel level can some cicadas reach?

... Cicadas can reach a decibel level of 120, closely approaching the human ear's pain threshold.

Question 14 of 21

Through which organs do cicadas belt out their mating call?

... Cicadas use their tymbals, located at the base of their abdomen, to produce sound. They contract their inner tymbal muscles, which causes the tymbal membrane to buckle forward, producing that distinctive sound.

Question 15 of 21

Which body part do the tympana function as?

... The cicada's tympana, mirror like membranes, function as their ears. When cicadas sing, they retract the tympana, to protect them from damage caused by their extremely loud sound.

Question 16 of 21

What is an added advantage of having the ability to produce such loud noise?

... An added advantage of the cicada's ability to produce such deafening noise is that it is even too loud for their predators -- birds.

Question 17 of 21

What is a female cicada's reproductive organ called?

... The female cicada's reproductive organ is called an ovipositor. It is an egg laying spike which pierces a plant stem and lays eggs in it.

Question 18 of 21

For how long do newly hatched cicadas live underground?

... Once hatched, cicadas fall to the ground and dig until they reach below the surface. They live there for 17 years, while they grow into adults.

Question 19 of 21

What are baby cicadas called?

... Newly hatched cicadas are tiny and wingless nymphs. During their time underground, they shed their nymph skin several times.

Question 20 of 21

What do cicada nymphs eat while underground?

... While underground, nymphs survive on the sap from plant roots.

Question 21 of 21

Do cicadas bite?

... Cicadas are a nuisance only because of the incredibly loud romantic ballads they sing. They are otherwise harmless and do not bite.