The first observations of adult Brood X cicadas are starting to appear on iNaturalist! Congrats to @mateusz_j, @efowl42, and @lovemyleo on your observations. The lateral angle on lovemyleo's observation enabled a species-level ID: the orange patch behind the eye was clearly visible, so we know that adult is Magicicada septendecim. This observation was from North Carolina, very close to the Georgia border, so it's not surprising that this cicada has a bit of a headstart on its northern kindred.

The observation from efowl42 is also particularly helpful, as the presence of Brood X in the Frankfort, KY, area has not (to my knowledge) been reconfirmed since the 1987 emergence. (In fact, the USDA Forest Service map shows Brood X not emerging in KY at all, which is just not right: https://www.fs.fed.us/foresthealth/docs/CicadaBroodStaticMap.pdf)

Some of you may have noticed that I've added a yes/no annotation for "Black patches present?" to some observations of nymphs. This refers to the two oval black patches that appear on the pronotum of nymphal cicadas as they mature (visible here: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/47657740), which are significant because they appear just before the nymphs shed their skins (ecdyse). I'm hoping that the data we gather here will help determine just when the black patches appear, and how long the interval is between the first sighting of black patches and the beginning of the full emergence in a given area.

This is so exciting that I can hardly sit still. Please keep your eyes peeled for adult cicadas emerging in your area, and remember to get shots of those fully sclerotized cicada bellies!

Posted on April 28, 2021 05:22 PM by weecorbie