onenicebugperday:Pharaoh cicada,Magicicada septendecim, one of the 17-year periodical cicadas set to
onenicebugperday:Pharaoh cicada,Magicicada septendecim, one of the 17-year periodical cicadas set to emerge in Brood X this year.Nymphs live underground for 17 years feeding on xylem from roots before emerging to breed en masse. Scientists believe this reproductive cycle originally started during the last ice age - cicadas that only emerged every 17 years were more likely to avoid the coldest summers and were thus more reproductively successful. Emerging in such large numbers also overwhelms predators and increases the chances for individuals to live long enough to reproduce.Photo 7 shows a nymph that has crawled from the ground and will soon molt into an adult; photos 8-10 show an adult emerging before it has dried and darkened.Photos 1-2 by kueda, 3-5 by djringer, 6 by JanetandPhil, 7 by yawwhite, 8-9 by mbassa, and 10 by dgovoni -- source link