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Dog Day Cicada (Tibicen canicularis)


Detailing the physical features, habits, territorial reach and other identifying qualities of the Dog Day Cicada


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The Dog-Day Cicada cover neighborhoods in massive numbers desperate to reproduce before its short adult life ends.



Updated: 05/13/2023; Authored By Staff Writer; Content ©www.InsectIdentification.org
Seen frequently on the hottest days of the summer, the Dog-Day Cicada is a harmless insect that happens to be a delightful food item for many other animals. Raccoons, wasps and other insects feast on the cicada all season long. Adult cicadas have a call that sounds like a circular saw tearing through wood, and in large numbers, that noise can be almost deafening during the day and at night. This particular species seems to prefer pines and its presence will disappear from an area once all pine trees are harvested or dead.

The adult Dog Day Cicada is dark brown or black. A gold mark on the thorax is shaped like two 'V's. A green band at the back of the head stretches into its large wings. The eyes stick out of the sides of the head. Adults are not known to eat. Instead, they focus their energy on reproducing during their short lifespan. It breeds, lays eggs on branches in trees, and then it dies. Larvae hatch from the eggs and fall to the ground, burrowing down into the earth to mature. They may drink fluids from tree roots.

After growing underground for a time, they resurface and the young nymphs will molt (shed) their exoskeleton in order to become longer and thicker. The cicada bursts out the back of its old exoskeleton, leaving it to dry out in place. These dried-out, crunchy brown 'shells' of the younger nymph look just like a living cicada, and it's not uncommon to see them clutching onto tree trunks, on plant stems, soffits, gutters, window screens, and even blades of tall grass. It takes 3 years for nymphs to become an adult. ©InsectIdentification.org


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General Characteristics


Capability, Shape, Texture/Pattern, Benefits, Dangers
Flying insect icon
Harmless insect icon


Taxonomic Hierarchy


Species Breakdown
Kingdom: Animalia
  Phylum: Arthropoda
    Class: Insecta
      Order: Hemiptera
        Family: Cicadidae
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          Genus: Tibicen
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            Species: canicularis

Identifying Information


Size, Colors, Features
Scientific Name: Tibicen canicularis
Category: Cicada and Planthopper
Size (Adult; Length): 27mm to 33mm (1.06" to 1.29")
Colorwheel Graphic Colors: green; black; yellow; gold; brown
Descriptors: chunky; plump; multicolored; flying; buzzing; slow; cling; harmless


Relative Size Comparison


Typical Size Between 27mm (1.1in) and 33mm (1.3in)
Lo: 27mm
Md: 30mm
Hi: 33mm

Territorial Map*


U.S., Canada, and Mexico
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Alaska  
Hawaii  
Prince Edward Is.  
* MAP NOTES: The territorial heat map above showcases (in red) the states and territories of North America where the Dog Day Cicada may be found (but is not limited to). This sort of data is useful when attempting to see concentrations of particular species across the continent as well as revealing possible migratory patterns over a species' given lifespan. Some insects are naturally confined by environment, weather, mating habits, food resources and the like while others see widespread expansion across most, or all, of North America. States/Territories shown above are a general indicator of areas inhabited by the Dog Day Cicada. Insects generally go where they please, typically driven by diet, environmental changes, and / or mating habits.
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