Magicicada septendecim (L. 1758)

Linnaeus’ 17-year cicada

Image of Periodical Cicada

Magicicada septendecim L-R: Male dorsal, Male ventral, Female dorsal, Female ventral.

A large periodical cicada with broad orange stripes on the underside of the abdomen, and with orange coloration on the sides of the thorax behind each eye and in front of the forewings (not visible in the photographs). The calling song phrases are said to resemble the word “Pharaoh.” Scale is 1 cm long.

You can rotate the 3-D models of M. septendecim below to see them from all angles.

General information about the signals of this species is included here.

Magicicada septendecim chorus:

Magicicada septendecim songs:

Sonogram of M. septendecim calling song

Courtship I/Calling song

Sonogram of M. septendecim Courtship II song

Courtship II song

Sonogram of M. septendecim Courtship III song

Courtship III song

Approximate range

In the map below, cicada symbols are verified records in our database as of August 2023. This map may not be reproduced without written permission.

Literature

Marlatt, C. L. 1923. The Periodical Cicada. United States Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Entomology Bulletin 71:1-183.