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periodical cicada: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As Magicicada • periodic cicada

Photos and Videos

Close-up of a Magicicada septendecim cicada with red eyes and transparent veined wings perched on green leaves.
A newly emerged orange nymph of the 17-year cicada (Magicicada sp.) sits on soil near several small holes, preparing to begin metamorphosis.
Map of the eastern United States displaying color-coded regions that indicate the next scheduled emergence years for various cicada broods. Each color represents a specific brood and year, with a legend on the right listing both 17-year and 13-year cicada broods and their upcoming emergence dates. The regions are scattered across states from the Midwest to the East Coast and South.
A 17-year periodical cicada (Magicicada) with transparent wings and orange legs clings to a blade of grass, photographed in North Carolina.
Magicicada; teneral cicada
teneral cicada in final molting stage
Illustration of a cicada (Magicicada) showing its brown body, large orange eyes, and transparent, veined wings extending past its abdomen.
Why do some cicadas appear every 17 years?
Close-up of two 17-year cicadas with black bodies and orange eyes, perched on a branch, with a blurred green and brown background.
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